How It All Began
by GreenEyedMonster101
Summary: Vaughn POV. Vaughn comes to the island because of his boss's orders. He meets Chelsea and hates to admit that he likes her. Should be short chapters and has mild language. R&R COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1

**This is a random HM story that I've been wanting to make. The entire thing will be in Vaughn's Point of View, so bare with me when it comes to the male mind.**

**Harvest Moon (c) Natsume (not me)**

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**Chapter 1**

My first thoughts about my invitation were "fuck no" and "you've gotta be kidding me". My boss, Jake, had told me to go to this island twice a week for some 'fresh air'. Not to mention that I would be supplying the island's new rancher with animals. The worst part was that the name of the god forsaken island was Sunny Island. Why me?

I was forced aboard that ship to the island, however, by six o'clock the next morning. It was a two hour trip; not that I cared. If the sailors left me alone and the animals stayed calm, I'd be just fine.

To my relief, the only time I was spoken to, was just before I boarded. They needed my name to be on some stupid ledger to make sure that when the boat sank, they could give me a headstone.

"Vaughn," I had said, not caring that my tone was its usual coldness.

The sailor nodded and moved on to the next passenger. I walked past him with my bag slung over my shoulder. I headed right to my room and shrugged the bag off, placed my black Stetson on the corner bedpost and fell onto the bed. It was way too early for me to be conscious.

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A voice came onto the loud speaker saying that Sunny Island was in sight; most likely the captain. I groaned as I remembered where I was and where I was going. What a dumb name for an island; Sunny Island. It sounds like an Island resort, not a deserted island that was just inhabited. I sighed and snatched my bag from the chair by the bed and put my hat back on my head. I made my way to the deck and saw that I was one of four people on the boat. A woman with pink hair was there talking to a foreign looking guy. Next to them; looking as if he was bored; was a child who looked much like the man.

The ship pulled up to the dock and the horn sounded. I glanced at my watch and saw that it was five after eight. I had plenty of time to do as I pleased; sleeping mostly; but I'd have to check in with my aunt before I could do anything.

I smirked to myself. I hadn't seen my aunt and cousin since I was fifteen. Julia was such a whiny child and I definitely enjoyed getting her to cry. Mirabelle wasn't as keen about the tears though and I was almost always punished for it.

I walked down the dock after the other three passengers and stopped at the end of the dock. I looked over my shoulder at the boat and weighed the chances of going back to the city and getting fired versus staying on the island and wasting two days a week of my life. Wasting my life was unfortunately the better option, so I trudged off to the pass the other people had walked through. I stopped and groaned as I stepped onto the sand however.

"Vaughny!!" a loud, squealing voice called.

A blonde woman ran and hugged me, snatching my hat off of my head. Julia hadn't changed at all; still using my goddamn nickname she came up with when we were kids.

"How was the ocean, Vaughny?" she asked.

I took my hat back and glared at her. She squeaked and followed me as I walked off.

"Are you goin' to see momma? She has a customer right now, so I wouldn't walk in," she said, running ahead.

"You run like a girl, Julia!" I called. She tripped on something and I laughed at her as she got teary eyed.

"Are you ok, Julia?" a geeky looking kid asked her, rushing to her side.

She blushed and nodded, looking up at him as a tear ran down her cheek. She then glared over at me. "My cousin is just a jerk."

The guy looked up at me with a glare on his face, but it quickly faded when I glared right back. He swallowed hard and nodded at Julia.

"H-Here, lemme help you up," he said with a stutter.

Rolling my eyes, I headed to the building that had the animal shop sign by its door. As I opened said door, a cowbell rang overhead. I couldn't help but smirk slightly at the familiarity. A red-brown haired girl looked up at me and I felt my face go blank. She had stunning blue eyes and a rather childish looking face. She was about five foot or so with her hair tucked under a bright red bandanna.

"Hi," she said, smiling broadly.

I regained my lost composure and rolled my eyes. "Whatever," I said coldly, as usual. "Do you have a room back there, Mirabelle?"

My plump aunt frowned at me. "Vaughn, be nice to our guest."

I looked at the short girl again and back at Mirabelle. "Why should I?"

"She's the rancher."

I scowled at the girl. She looked like she could barely lift a chicken, let alone a barrel of milk. She scowled right back at me, surprising me momentarily.

"Obviously, this cowboy was never taught manners, so I won't take offense. I will be back again tomorrow," she said, brushing past me in anger. I could've sworn she was even sticking her nose in the air like a snobby little brat.

As the girl left, Julia and that dork walked in. The girl smiled at the pair and said hello before turning to me, glaring and walking out. I frowned.

"You've known her a whole twenty seconds and she already wants to rip your face off," Julia said with a laugh.

I rolled my eyes and walked into the kitchen. "So do you have a room here I can stay in or not?"

"Go through that door and you can have the first door on the left," Mirabelle said pointing to the door at the end of the kitchen.

I walked through it and went into my designated room. I tossed my bag on the bed and stepped out of my boots. I took my hat, my vest, and my gloves off, followed by my belt. I then shoved my bag to the floor and flopped onto the bed, going unconscious quickly.

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**And that's the end of the first chapter =)**

**Thanks for reading....Review if you'd like to =)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter two of the story. I think the title may be lame, but I'll let you guys decide. Gimme a holler if I ought to change the title =)**

**Harvest Moon (c) Natsume**

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**Chapter 2**

I woke up again at noon or so to my stomach growling uncomfortably. I rolled over groaning and fell off the bed. I heard Julia giggling in the doorway and I looked up.

"You sleep like a rock, Vaughny. I've been trying to get you up for an hour now," she said with a smug look on her face.

I groaned and sat up, running my hand through my hair with a yawn. Julia giggled again and walked in, her heeled boots clicking on the wood flooring. She put her hands on her hips and leaned over to me.

"Momma says you need to go around the island and say hello to everyone," she said, standing upright, crossing her arms at the same time. "She says it's a punishment for your rude behavior towards Chelsea."

"Chelsea...." I muttered. Nice name for a girl I guess. Not that I cared...

"Yes, the girl that was here when you got here. Geez, you're a moron!"

She turned around and walked out of the room. I scoffed as I stood, stretching to get the kinks out of my back. I quickly got dressed and sauntered out into the kitchen, grabbing a recently toasted bagel from Julia and walked out the front door. Julia complained and threw something at me, but I dodged and shut the door quickly.

I then stopped. I didn't know how big this lame island was; nor where everyone lived. So I did what most lost people did; headed to the beach. I ate the bagel as I walked down, thinking about relaxing while I was on the island. Hey; that's what Jake told me. "Relax while you're there. You work too hard." Yeah, bullshit.

As I stepped onto the warm beach, a strong wind sent the smell of salty water swirling around me. I enjoy that smell; puts me at ease. I looked around and saw Chelsea and some dark skinned guy. He was wearing a purple bandana and had a small black bird on his shoulder. He and Chelsea were laughing. The thing that pissed me off was that seeing that really irked me. I wanted to walk up to the guy and punch him until his face fell apart in my hands. I gritted my teeth and walked over to a large boulder with moss on it. I cursed a few times loudly to myself.

I heard Chelsea say my name and I looked up, but she was talking to the guy. He was looking over at me as if he wanted to talk to me. I glared at him and he turned back to Chelsea, muttering something to her. She turned and looked at me. I didn't have it in me to glare at her and once again I felt my face go blank.

She rolled her eyes, put her fishing pole on the dock and walked over to me. She didn't say anything to me; she just grabbed my wrist and started to pull me towards the dock. Out of instinct, I pulled back and she fell into me. I grabbed her arm, helping her up, but she pulled her arm out of my grip glaring at me.

"Come here," she said demandingly.

"Make me. You could at least tell me why I'm supposed to follow you," I said, smirking slightly as she rolled her eyes again.

"Just come here," she said, snatching my wrist and tugging on me again.

I sighed deeply, but followed her. She pulled me over to the dock where the guy was standing. He grinned at me sheepishly and I rolled my eyes.

"Vaughn, this is Denny. He asked who you were and I figured you were rather curious about him as well," she said flatly.

I shook Denny's hand politely, but only for half a second. I didn't want him thinking I liked him; cuz I definitely did not. He smelled like fish.

"Nice ta meetcha man," he said with a wide grin. "Chels told me that yer the new animal guy. I'll have to see you if anything ever happens to Kuu here."

The little bird on his shoulder made a peeping noise and looked very happy. I have never seen a black chicken, so I assumed it was a penguin of some sort.

"Introductions are over, you can leave," Chelsea said irritably.

I glared at her for the first time since I met her and she glared right back. Denny looked between us rather worriedly.

"What's with you two? 'Specially you, Chels, I've never seen you like this," he said nervously.

"Cowboys like him ain't got any manners on 'em. He's the rudest man I have ever met," Chelsea growled, putting her hands on her hips.

"Well I'm sorry that I had a long trip here," I snapped back.

"Your ship didn't go down, so I don't wanna hear it!"

"Oh boo-fucking-hoo, you pansy! You landed on this hell-hole of an island and you're the islands rancher! It must be a shitty life for you!"

She surprised me by shoving me into the ocean. The water was chilly, but it wasn't too deep. I stood up and grabbed her ankle, pulling her in with me. She kicked me before hitting the water and I let go out of surprise. She couldn't stand and was treading water while glaring at me.

"You're gonna wish you were never fucking born, cowboy," She said as she started swimming towards me.

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**Cliffhangers are awesome, huh?**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three of the story. Kind of rushed, but I still like it. I will try to type the next Chapter in the next few days, so gimme some time ^^;;**

**As always, Harvest Moon (c) Natsume, not me XD**

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**Chapter 3**

To be honest, the fact that Chelsea was swimming towards me was not frightening at all. I mean, I was standing in the water and she had to swim. That only gave me the advantage of using my arms. She got closer, so I braced my feet properly in the sand under my feet. She lunged (or whatever it would be called) and I grabbed her around the waist.

"Wha-HEY! Put me down, Vaughn!" she yelled.

I turned around ignoring her and tossed her as far out into the ocean as I could. She hit the water with a huge splash and I made my way to the dock. I hoisted myself onto the hard wood and took my hat off, shaking my hair out. I then wrung the Stetson out and glared at the surfacing brunette.

"That was SO uncalled for!" she barked.

I shrugged. "I put you down, didn't I?"

She glared at me and swam towards the dock. Denny reached over the edge and helped her up. He said something about a towel, but she shook her head.

"I'll be fine till I get home, thanks," she muttered.

She then stormed off the dock and back through the passageway to town. I chuckled to myself at her childish temper.

"Ah shit. She's gonna be pissed," I heard Denny say.

I turned and saw him leaning over the edge of the dock again. He then regained his posture and had Chelsea's red bandana in his hand. I groaned inwardly and took it from him.

"I'll go give it back," I sighed. I was not in the mood to have her getting snippy with me for having lost her bandana when I threw her.

I started to head off the dock, but Denny grabbed my elbow.

"You might wanna take this to her too," he said, handing me her fishing pole.

I rolled my eyes, but took the flimsy piece of driftwood. I then headed up the hill, but decided to dry off before confronting that venomous woman. I headed to the animal shop and slipped out of my boots at the door.

"What in god's name happened to _you_?" Aunt Mirabelle asked me, almost dropping the chicken feed she was carrying.

"Chelsea," I grumbled as I headed for the door to the rooms.

"What did you do now, Vaughny?" Julia asked from the kitchen table. The dork was sitting next to her holding her hand. How creepy.

"She pushed me into the ocean," I snapped.

"She wouldn't just push you into the ocean, Vaughn. She's not a bitter person. You obviously egged her on or something."

I glared at her and stormed into my room. I quickly shed myself of everything; save for my black boxers. I then snatched a pair of black and grey plaid boxers and headed for the shower; the pole and bandana could wait a little bit.

* * *

It took me ten minutes to cleanse myself of salt water and another five minutes to dry my hair. I then headed back to my room. I dumped the contents of my bag onto the bed and quickly got dressed into an identical outfit. I then took the wet clothes to the laundry room; next door to the bathroom; and tossed my clothes, gloves, Chelsea's bandana and my Stetson into the washer. I was not going to have them smelling like salt for the next two days. I grabbed another belt, slipped it on and slung the wet one over the door of the closet. I then grabbed the fishing pole and headed out to the main room of the shop.

"There you are!"

I looked down slightly and Chelsea was standing right in front of me with a dark glare plastered on her face.

"Gimme that!" she hissed, snatching her fishing pole from me. "Cuz of you, I lost my favorite and only bandana! I hope you're happy," she growled.

I glared at her as my anger swelled. "How is it my fault?"

I failed to mention that the bandana was in the washer as we spoke. I felt bad that it smelled of ocean, so I thought I'd be nice and wash it for her. She's the one who jumped to conclusions.

"You threw me further into the ocean! That's when it slipped off my head! I want you to go back into the ocean and get it!" she snapped, poking me in the chest and glaring up at me.

"HA! There's no way in hell I'm gonna go fetch your bandana just because you don't know how to keep it tight around your big, fat, head!"

I regretted that instantly. Her face grew very red and I was afraid she might start crying; girls who cry a lot piss me off cuz they're really loud. Instead, she reached up and grabbed my white bandana, ripping it off of my neck.

"What do you think you're doing?" I growled, trying to snatch it back.

She dodged my attempts to grab the bandana and fastened it around her neck. She then pulled it over her hair and looked into the mirror on the wall by the door to the rooms.

"It's not the same, but it'll do until you buy me a new one," she said, sounding disappointed.

I glared at her, but said nothing. I instead went back into the rooms and headed to the laundry room. I yanked open the washer, grabbed her bandana, closed the washer (starting it back up as well), headed back out to her and thrust the bandana into her hands.

"I thought I was doing you a favor by washing it! It stunk like fish-boy down there, so I tossed the thing in with my shit! I'm sorry I was trying to do something nice for you! Don't ever ask me to again, you snot nosed brat!"

I snatched my bandana back and walked past her towards the front door. The look on Julia's face was easy to read: 'You'd best apologize, or she's gonna murder you', it said. Yeah, she was _really_ gonna do something like that.

Mirabelle grabbed my wrist before I could walk out the front door. Or at least I thought it was Mirabelle. I turned and Chelsea was looking up at me sadly. She bit her lip and looked away with a light blush on her face.

"I'm really sorry Vaughn....I shouldn't have assumed that it was lost.....But you should have said something to me! Then I wouldn't have yelled at you!"

I thought to myself, ok Vaughn, smile at her and tell her it's no problem. It's not that hard, man, just smile.

"Hn. Whatever, brat," I said instead.

I walked out after shrugging her off of my arm. Why did I have to be such an asshole?

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	4. Chapter 4

**Ok, I got a review today from K-Shee and it totally inspired me to finish this chapter today. Thank you everyone who has reviewed =) It means a lot to me. The only reason K-Shee inspired me most was cuz I had read her Alphabet Oneshots of this couple and I couldnt believe she would review _MY_ story. It made me feel special =)**

**Harvest Moon (c) Natsume**

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**Chapter 4**

The only good thing that came out of my first day on the island was the discovery of the Diner. The food there was rather decent; better than Julia's cooking for sure. The owner, Luke, even gave me a tab that I could pay off once a month. That would come in handy when I carried less money with me.

I woke up Thursday morning at dawn; six o'clock. I got dressed, seeing as I only slept in boxers, and went out to the main room. Julia found something interesting in the table cloth all of a sudden and Mirabelle didn't even smile at me as she handed me a mug of hot milk. I guess that I pissed the women off when I was cold to Chelsea....I don't give a damn.

After a very silent breakfast of toast and milk, I headed out back to the barn where the animals were. The twenty or so chickens that Mirabelle kept came running up to me. With a smirk, I knelt down and patted each one. I fed the birds and headed to the section that the calves were in. Only five were in stock and they all mooed at me to tell me they were hungry. I smiled as the smallest calf grabbed onto my sleeve when I began pouring her feed into her bin. I had named her Belle; something I never did.

Jake always told me that getting attached to animals that were to be sold was a very bad idea. First off, the animal would probably be called a different name when purchased and second, I would be heartbroken when I was separated from said animal. What was I, a woman? I don't get heartbroken about anything. Heart of steel, baby.

I heard the barn door open and I glanced over my shoulder. Chelsea was standing there with a slight blush on her face. Ok, I had to admit; she looked kinda cute with the red tint on her face.

"Um, Vaughn? Mirabelle told me to ask you about how to take care of a calf....Cuz you see-" she began. I wasn't in the mood to listen to her lame story.

"I don't care why you want to know," I said, putting my hand up to silence her. "I told you not to ask me for favors anymore."

My attention focused back on the calf in front of me. I heard Chelsea take a deep sigh and I could just picture her posture: one hand on her hip and the other over her temples to keep her from yelling. I smirked at the picture I got.

"Mirabelle told me to ask you. I didn't come here on my own accord," she said flatly. "You need to quit holding a damn grudge. You'll turn into a woman you keep that up."

I stood and turned to her in one fluid motion. She had a smirk on her face and her arms were crossed over her chest.

"For your goddamn information, I'm not holding a grudge," I said pointing at her. "I made up my mind yesterday that you're a snot nosed brat who jumps to conclusions. I don't associate with people who act like that."

She scowled at me and walked back through the barn door, closing it behind her. I quickly dashed out the back door that led to the back of the shop. The little demon would rat me out and Mirabelle would come after my hide. I couldn't have that, so I headed to the Diner in the Eastern Town as the islanders called it.

As I got close to the Diner, I saw a raven haired girl walking out. She looked pale and frightened. Before I could stop myself, I was talking to her.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

She looked up at me and blushed slightly. "Y-Yes, I'm fine..."

She was lying. "I'm Vaughn, what's your name?" I asked, trying to create small talk.

"M-My name is Sabrina," she said with a shy smile. She took another step forward and stumbled slightly, catching herself before she fell completely.

"Are you sure you're okay?" I asked, hinting at the fact I wasn't buying her shit.

"I-I...I don't feel very good," she said shyly.

No kidding..."Will you be able to make it home okay? By the way, where do you live?"

She smiled up at me. "I-I'll be alright. It's just over there," she said, pointing to a large mansion.

She took a few more steps down the cobblestone pathway and stumbled again. I rolled my eyes and walked up to her; grabbing her arm and helping her straighten up.

"Don't lie to me. You'll pass out...I'll take you home."

'_Wait, what? Why am I offering to do that? C'mon feet, the Diner is that way. No, not that way!'_

She looked up at me surprised. "I-I'll be all right. I don't want you to go out of your way..."

"I don't want you to pass out. Let's go."

I held onto her arm the entire walk to her house. She kept quiet luckily for me; girls who talk too much also piss me off. She opened the door to her house and stepped aside for me. I shook my head and held the door for her. What can I say? I'm still a gentleman.

Once we got inside, she led me to the living room. "...Thank you very much! I'm feeling so much better now!"

'_Did she act that whole charade out...?_'

"No need to thank me; just be careful, okay?" I said. I then tipped my hat at her. "Bye."

"I can't thank you enough," she said as I turned towards the door.

I rolled my eyes and walked out the door, closing it quietly behind me. As I turned to go to the Diner, I caught a glimpse of red. I assumed it was Chelsea's bandana and smirked. I hoped to god she was jealous that I was nice to Sabrina. At least the girl knew how to say nice things without expecting a nice response.

I headed back to the Diner with the smirk plastered on my face.

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**Ok, this might seem lame, but I had to go onto YouTube to find the rival event between Vaughn and Sabrina. I purposely never mined because I hate that woman XD**

**Just so everyone knows, I am making Sabrina evil because I like Vaughn most. She can't have him; he belongs with Chelsea =)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Wow, this chapter (and the next) took me a while to get into words. This chapter kept changing in my head, so the next chapter kept changing. So I just decided that this one would be just fine for my readers =)**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed my previous chapters. It makes me happy to read them all and it gives me that extra boost to keep writing at my best =)**

**Harvest Moon (c) Natsume as usual**

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**Chapter 5**

The six days of freedom I got away from the island seemed to be over in the blink of an eye. First I was breathing in the thick, toxic, polluted city air and then I was stepping down the loading plank onto the godforsaken island again.

Damn, six days away is definitely not gonna be enough to refill my sanity. I headed to Mirabelle's and put my bag in my room. I then sat out in the kitchen with the other women.

"So how was your six days in the city?" Julia asked as if humored that the six days flew by.

"It seemed like six seconds," I said glaring at her. "I wish I never had to come to this damn island."

Mirabelle handed me a mug of hot milk. "Oh hush, Vaughn. You know as well as I do that the air around here is good for you."

I rolled my eyes and sipped at the milk. Within five minutes, I was seeing red. Chelsea walked in looking very worried.

"Hey, Chels," Julia said with a smile.

The worried girl looked sad, but smiled at Julia. Knowing the dumb blonde, she wouldn't pick up on the emotion hidden behind that smile.

"Are you okay Chelsea? You look rather worried," Mirabelle said.

'_Leave it to the Mother Hen to notice_,' I thought with a smirk as I sipped the milk again.

The girl shook her head solemnly. "I think April is sick...She's acting really odd this morning."

I almost choked on my milk. I stood up so fast that the chair toppled over behind me and all three women jumped.

"When did you get a coop?!" I hollered.

I wasn't sure why it angered me so much, but knowing that one of the hens from here was in her care really irked me. April was an excellent laying hen and I knew for a fact that she had no idea how to raise an animal. She had come to me less than a week ago about a calf, hadn't she?

"She got one after changing her mind about getting a barn...Kind of odd if you ask me," Julia said, looking over at Chelsea suspiciously.

Chelsea looked away and blushed slightly. My face went blank.

The little brat hadn't said a word about me saying no to her offer. I felt a twinge of regret, but shook it out of my system.

"Why April? She was the best hen here! What if something happens?" I barked at Mirabelle. "If an animal dies on that farm and it's your fault, I'm taking over the ranch!" I hissed at Chelsea.

I didn't mean to take my anger out on her, it's just that I knew all of the hens by name and took special care to price them according to laying ability. April and the rest of her clutch were the best layers that Mirabelle had in stock.

"That's exactly _why_ I gave her to Chelsea! She needed a good start to her coop, so I gave her one of the best we had. She was also given an egg by Taro. It hatched into a chick the other day, so Chelsea wanted a hen that could help take care of the baby. Is that so wrong?" Mirabelle asked.

When the woman talked a lot, it meant she wasn't going to have me saying mean things about someone. This was also the time when I used to get smacked upside the back of the head. Lucky for me, I was taller than the stout woman now and she couldn't reach my head.

I gritted my teeth and pulled my hat over my eyes. I quickly fixed the chair and sat down in it. I wasn't going to admit defeat verbally.

"Here, sweetie. Give this to April in her lunch and dinner tonight. If she is still odd in the morning, come see us," Mirabelle said, handing Chelsea a bottle of animal medicine.

"Okay...Um, how much per meal?"

"Well, I would say ten drops per meal, right Vaughn?"

"Sure, whatever..."

Mirabelle was glaring at me; I could feel the hair on the back of my neck stand up.

"Yes, ok? Ten drops per meal will suffice," I hissed.

"There you have it dear. Come back in the morning and tell us how she is, okay?"

I looked up and saw Chelsea smile at Mirabelle warmly before leaving the shop. Mirabelle glared at me slightly before heading off to the barn. I followed and did my work silently for the rest of the day.

* * *

"It's a bit strange, Dontcha think?" Julia asked at lunch the next day.

"Whaddya mean?" I asked, taking a bite of the turkey sandwich Mirabelle made me.

"Well, mom told Chelsea to come this morning to tell us how April was doing. It's almost one and she hasn't shown yet."

I swallowed. "Maybe she's celebrating the fact that the meds worked. Or maybe she slept in by mistake."

She scowled at me. "Chelsea doesn't sleep in, Vaughn. She's too energetic..."

Mirabelle walked in through the front door and took off her raincoat and boots. She then walked in, looked around and sighed deeply.

"Still hasn't shown up?" she asked.

I shook my head and took another bite of my sandwich.

"Did you find her when you went to the ranch?" Julia asked.

Mirabelle shook her head solemnly. "I even knocked on the door. Bandit came to the door and barked, but the lights were out. I don't understand where she could have gone....Vaughn, where are you going?"

I had stood up and put my hat on my head. I then looked at Mirabelle as I walked past her to the door. "I'm sick of hearing you two worry about her. She'll show when she's ready to show."

I walked out into the rain and started off towards the beach.

'_If I was a snot nosed brat, where would I hide?_' I asked myself.

I looked around the beach for her bandana, but saw nothing. So I turned and headed towards the forest. I made my way all the way through it to the base of the mountain. She was nowhere in sight. I shrugged and headed to the Diner. When in doubt, stuff your face.

* * *

I left the Diner well after dark and was glad to see the moon shining brightly in the sky. The air had a wet smell to it; from the rain obviously. It soothed me a little; much like the ocean does, and made me smile. Yes, this heartless demon knows how to smile.

I started to go back to the Animal shop to get my stuff when I saw something move in the distance. I squinted slightly and saw that it looked much like Chelsea. She was wearing very dark pants and a dark sweatshirt. She was also carrying a box and her bandana had been discarded. Scowling, I started towards her.

"What are you doing dressed like _that_ at a time like _this_?" I asked.

She looked up at me with shock written all over her face. She put the box on the ground and stood in front of it, looking up at me shyly.

"Just going for a walk," she said with obvious nervousness.

I scowled at her and crossed my arms. "You're talking a walk while carrying a shoe box?"

"Yes?"

I took a few steps forward. "So what's in the box?"

"Nothing of importance," she said with a shrug. It was obvious by her body language that she didn't want me to see what was inside.

"Then you don't mind if I take a peek, do you?"

She bit her lip. "Yes I do. It would bore you anyways."

I sidestepped to get to the box, but she stepped in front of me.

"Just go away Vaughn. This doesn't concern you," she growled.

"Getting mighty defensive over a box of nothing, aren't you?"

She glared at me darkly and I saw something in her eyes I hadn't seen in a long time. Her eyes were very protective, but frightened at the same time. She looked as if she was going to burst into tears if I got a hold of that box.

I faked a step to the right, causing her to try to block. Using that opening, I snatched the box and flipped the top off.

Before the top had even hit the ground, my heart sank into my stomach and I turned around. Chelsea was on the ground with her face in her hands.

Inside the box was the soft, white of the body of April, the hen that was sick the day before.

* * *

**Will Vaughn get angry? Or will he understand? STAY TUNED! XD**


	6. Chapter 6

**Here is the next chapter. I had to get the last two done together so that you readers wouldn't go rabid on me XD Hope you like it =)**

**Harvest Moon (c) Natsume**

* * *

**Chapter 6**

I almost dropped the box. I wanted to holler at Chelsea and shake her until she lost consciousness. But for some reason, I couldn't move.

"Sh-She wa-wasn't m-moving when I-I f-fed my a-a-animals this morning," she stuttered. Whether it was from crying or fear of what I would do, I wasn't sure.

I couldn't say anything. I stood there with my jaw slack, staring down just past her head into nothing. I remember her looking up at me with silvery tears streaming down her face.

"Vaughn, she wouldn't take her medicine," she said in a shaky, but more controlled voice. "I put it in her food, but she wouldn't touch it. So I gave her feed without it and she ate that. I don't get it, why is she dead?"

I came back around, but I wasn't angry. In fact, the look on her face told me that she honestly didn't know why the hen died. I knelt down next to her and placed the box at her feet.

"So she ate her food, but not with medicine?" I asked, my voice very cracked.

She nodded and looked down again. "She wouldn't drink any water either...I thought I could ask you, but....."

I mentally slapped myself. She wasn't going to ask me because I told her not to ask me for favors.

"You should've told me it had something to do with an animal. I would've listened."

"Or just told me I was a snot nosed brat again," she said quietly.

I flinched and realized just how mean I was to this girl. I picked up the dead hen and carefully pressed on her stomach. The stomach was normal sized, as were all her other organs. I went up to her throat and felt an odd bulge. Scowling, I looked down at Chelsea who was still looking at the ground.

"She choked on something," I said.

She looked up at me in a flash, fresh tears slipping out of her eyes. "Wh-What? What did she choke on?"

I looked down at the hen and forced my fingers in her mouth. Making my way down her throat, I felt something cold and smooth. A rock maybe? No it would've been heavier. I tugged at it and pulled it free. I pulled it out and it shone white and black in the moonlight.

"It's an eggshell," I said. It was covered in blood, most likely from cutting her throat on the way down.

"What? B-But how could she eat an eggshell? I picked up all....Oh no! I must have missed a piece," she said, throwing her head in her hands again.

I placed the hen back in the box and crossed my arms, resting my head on my right hand. A hen doesn't just eat eggshells. They are intelligent enough to know they can't eat something like that.

Chelsea grabbed my arm causing me to look down at her. "Vaughn, I didn't mean to. I really didn't mean to kill her."

I lowered my head so that my hat was covering my eyes. "It wasn't your fault, Chelsea. There's a reason why hens eat eggshells. I just don't remember the reason."

I glanced up at her and saw her looking down at April's body. The tears were silently falling from her eyes and they made her face look very soft and gentle. I grabbed her chin and tilted her head up to look at me. She blushed and looked away.

"I really am sorry about her death," I muttered. "It wasn't your fault; promise."

She looked back up at me and blushed, nodding slightly. "Thank you, Vaughn," she said quietly.

I kissed her forehead gently, causing her to blush even more. What can I say? She was really cute with a blush on her face. I then put the lid back on the box and helped Chelsea to her feet. I then handed her the box and put my hand on the small of her back, leading her towards the main part of town.

"I'll help you bury her on the ranch, okay?"

She nodded and let me lead her away.

* * *

I wiped my forehead and then glanced at my watch. Damn, I had missed my boat to the city. Oh well, guess I could take the early boat in the morning. Chelsea was leaning against a fence she had created and was sound asleep. I smiled and rolled my eyes as I walked over, picking her up bridal style.

She had helped me dig the hole. She also placed the box in the hole, but didn't have the energy to fill it in. So I did it alone. She passed out soon after.

I carried her into her house and was greeted by a whining and barking dog. He was a light brown color with a red bandana around his neck. She did enjoy her red bandanas. I placed Chelsea on her bed and took off her boots and bandana. I pulled the covers over her head and headed over to the bathroom.

After a quick shower, I looked for a blanket around her house. I found one on the back of her couch and a pillow on an armchair not too far away. I tossed both onto the couch, curled up underneath the blanket and fell asleep. Tomorrow would bring many questions from the women of the shop, but it was all worth it.

* * *

**This is Vaughn's way of fixing all the problems he caused for her; repenting for his wrong-doings I guess =)**

**Oh, and I will start bolding the parts of the documents that I yammer XD Makes it easier for you to know when the story ends and I begin XD  
**


	7. Chapter 7

**Ok, this chapter took me a while. I kind of got writer's block for a while. But here it is. It may seem a tad random, but my randomness has a valid point, so just be patient for my sake =/**

**Harvest Moon (c) Natsume**

**Story (c) me**

* * *

**Chapter 7**

I never knew that the death of a chicken could bring two people together who had originally hated each other. Well, I hated Chelsea anyways, but I'm sure she hated me in her own way too. I woke up Friday morning and boarded the boat, waving to Chelsea as she waved from the dock.

I was actually looking forward to getting back to the island that week. That was probably why the days seemed to take forever. Funny how that works; hope that time stops and it flies, but hope it flies and it stops. So dumb...

* * *

It was summer very quickly. I had been spending my Wednesday evenings at the Diner with Chelsea and Thursday afternoons at her ranch. She had expanded the farm a little and had bought the calf I named Belle. When Mirabelle told Chelsea I had named her, Chelsea giggled and kept the name. She was so cute when she giggled and I had had to hide my face with my Stetson because I actually blushed at the sound.

I had also overheard Chelsea talking to Julia about her birthday. It was the ninth; my next Wednesday visit. She had told Julia to keep it a secret and not to throw her a party. I doubt she'd be able to resist a present if it were given to her. I had gotten her a silly little cow plush that I saw as I was passing a store in the city. An impulse buy, but I knew she'd like it.....Or at least I hoped she would.

She was waiting on the dock when I got there as she usually did. I had put the gift in my bag, so she wouldn't notice and I could give it to her at the Diner.

"How was the city?"

I chuckled. "You're getting to be repetitive," I said. She asked the same question the past two times I arrived.

"Well, I always want to know," she said sticking her tongue out at me.

"You shouldn't do that," I warned.

She looked at me puzzled. "Why not?"

I snatched her tongue between my index and middle finger, smirking. "Someone might grab it."

She squealed and threw a fit. I laughed at her and released her tongue. She took a swing at me and I dodged it.

"You're such a jerk, Vaughn!" she squealed running off to her ranch.

I chuckled and made my way to the shop. Inside, Julia tackled me and slammed the door shut.

"What the hell, Jules?" I growled, rubbing my head.

"Is Chelsea behind you?" she asked, pulling back a curtain from the window.

"No, she ran off to her ranch like she always does after she says hello to me," I said, getting up.

"Good. Now I need you to keep her occupied."

She hoisted me off the ground and grabbed my bag from me.

"What? Why do I have to do anything for you?"

"I'm throwing her a party, silly. Today's her birthday and she's turning the big 'two-o'," she said holding up two fingers.

"She's turning two?" I asked with a smirk.

She scowled at me and punched my arm. Seeing as Julia hit like a girl, it barely even hurt. "She's twenty today. Unlike you, she's still young and innocent and needs to have a party."

"Fine, but I'm gonna tell her," I said shrugging.

"No! You can't! It's a surprise!"

"I'm not getting dragged into your little scheme and have her hate me again. After April died, Chelsea and I have actually been on good terms," I said, scowling at her.

"Aw, you wanna keep Chelsea as a friend?" Julia cooed at me.

"Shut up," I said, walking out.

She shouted after me, warning me not to tell her, but I ignored her. Had she not heard what I said? I actually liked Chelsea; as a friend I mean. Nothing more...I think...

I made my way to Chelsea's ranch and was greeted by Bandit. He bounded towards me from the front door and jumped up to lick my hand. I smiled and knelt to pet him. Chelsea whistled and Bandit took off towards her. She was riding a brown horse that I hadn't seen before.

"Well hey there, cowboy," she said with a smirk.

She urged the horse over to me and I saw that she was riding without any tack.

"When did you learn how to ride a horse? When did you _get_ a horse?" I asked.

She giggled and I felt my face redden. "Chen gave him to me after some guy gave it to _him_. He said the horse was payment for work he did for the guy. So now I have a horse. His name is Tornado," she said, patting the horse's neck.

In response, the horse whinnied and threw his head. She giggled and slid off of his back, landing softly in front of me. The horse galloped away into the field.

"He's so hard to catch once he's outside. It's as if he tries to avoid being put inside," she said with a smile.

I half-smiled back and looked around the ranch. Chelsea had accomplished quite a lot in a small amount of time. The field was divided into two main sections: grass for the livestock and tilled rows for her crops. In between the two was a fenced in area that held her hen Betty.

I looked down at Chelsea and saw her kneeling to rub Bandit's stomach.

"Hey, what are you doing here? You never show up unless it's Thursday afternoon," she said looking up at me.

"Julia wants me to keep you occupied so you don't find out about your surprise party," I said with a shrug.

She raised an eyebrow at me. "How can I not find out if you tell me?"

"Oh did I? Oops," I said sarcastically. "Just don't tell her I told cuz she'll get mad and throw something at me."

Chelsea chuckled, but sighed. "I told her not to tell anybody. I hate making a big deal about my birthday..."

"She didn't tell, I overheard," I said, smacking myself in the face for saying anything.

"Overheard? Oh when we were talking last week....I guess I _do_ talk a little too loud," she said sticking her tongue out and hitting herself lightly on the head.

I chuckled and put my hands in my pockets. "So if I gave you a present, you wouldn't want it?"

Her head snapped up at me. "I guess that depends on what you got me."

I smirked and then shrugged. "Well I guess I'll just have to take it back to the city with me tomorrow. You don't want it and all."

She grabbed the collar of my shirt and pulled me down to her level. "Whatever you got me, I want it."

I laughed and nodded. The two of us headed back to the shop together.

* * *

"You told?!?" Julia shouted as we entered. Chelsea was furious at the decorations.

"No he did not. He said he had a gift for me, so I came with him to get it," she said sounding very convincing.

I shrugged. "I told her I could get it on my own."

Julia glared between the two of us, causing me to smirk. She threw the roll of masking tape that was in her hands at me. I caught it and chuckled.

"You little bastard," she growled, pouncing on me. "You have such a big goddamn mouth."

"Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?" I asked sarcastically.

"Unfortunately, she does," Mirabelle said with a sigh.

I looked up and saw her shaking her head by the kitchen. "Get off of your cousin and give Chelsea her present."

"But Momma! We aren't gonna throw the party?" Julia whined as she stood up.

Mirabelle shook her head. "There isn't much point to a surprise party if there isn't a surprise."

Julia glared at me, but handed Chelsea a present wrapped in light blue. She smiled and opened it. Inside was a small red ribbon. Chelsea pulled it out looking very confused.

"Um....What am I supposed to do with this, Julia?" she asked.

She giggled and snatched it from Chelsea. She pulled off the smaller girl's bandana, pulled her hair back into a ponytail and tied the ribbon around the hair.

"For once, I'd like to see you not wearing that bandana," Julia said, spinning Chelsea around.

I swear; if it were possible, my nose would have instantaneously combusted into a mass of blood. Chelsea looked so cute that I had to turn away to hide my red face.

"What do you think, Vaughny?" Julia asked me, a hint of a sneer in her voice.

I swallowed hard. "You look....cute Chelsea," I managed.

I couldn't handle the atmosphere anymore and headed to my room. I closed the door behind me and I heard Julia begin laughing.

"He's so shy. I betcha he's got the biggest crush on you, Chels," she said.

"Oh shut up, Julia. He doesn't like me like that and you know it. Besides, he's a great friend and that's all I need right now," Chelsea rebutted.

"I think that you need to hear something, Chels."

I could almost hear Chelsea's confusion. I heard a door open; probably the barn door; and several girls began giggling.

"SURPRISE!"

I jumped. Julia had hidden the girls in the barn? That meant they all heard me say Chelsea looked cute! Goddamnit....

I pressed my ear to the door and listened.

"Vaughn was right Chels! You look so cute!" Lanna's annoying voice rang.

"He really _is_ shy, isn't he Jules?" Natalie asked. I could picture her nudging Julia.

"He'd never say such nice things about me!" Sabrina's mousy voice cried.

Were all of the girls on the island here or something? What was Julia planning?

"Hang on, girls...I'm gonna go get Vaughn and bring him out here," Julia said, her voice suddenly close to the door.

I scrambled away from the door and rushed to my room, flopping on my bed as the door to the kitchen opened. Julia appeared not long after and grabbed my wrist.

"Come on...This is gonna be fun," she said.

Uh-oh....

* * *

**To be continued...**


	8. Chapter 8

**This was fun to write, though it's much shorter than the last two. Thank you so much everyone who keeps reviewing =) They make me very happy to read that everyone is enjoying the strange and crazy things that dwell in my mind =)  
**

**And yes, another cliffhanger-ish ending is waiting for you =)**

**Harvest Moon (c) Natsume**

* * *

**Chapter 8**

Julia led me out into the kitchen...Ok, that's an understatement: she dragged me completely against my will. All of the girls our age that I knew of were standing in the kitchen around Chelsea. Julia practically tossed me into the only open chair; the one closest to the fridge; and crossed behind Chelsea.

"Now that we're all here," Julia began.

"Hi Vaughn!"

"Oh my god, you're so cute, Vaughn!"

"Can I wear your hat, Vaughn?"

Being bombarded by a bunch of women isn't fun. Especially when you never knew they even had a thing for you.

Well anyway, I glared at Julia and stood up. I turned around and went to the fridge, pulling out a jug of milk in one simple motion.

"Shut up," I hissed as the women continued their swooning.

I heard a few gasps and a horribly stifled giggle. I knew the latter was from Chelsea.

"Oh come now, Vaughny. Entertain these girls for a few minutes while I cut the cake."

I turned around to glare at her, but was surprised to see Chelsea standing from the chair at the end of the table. Julia was looking at her in shock.

"I really don't want to have a party and I even asked you not to throw one. Now, if you girls don't mind, I'm gonna go somewhere else while you all drool over Vaughn," she said, glaring at Julia lightly.

I couldn't hold back a small laugh. She practically read my mind, though I would've said a few choice curses directed at Jules.

"Chelsea! You can't just leave your own party! That's totally rude!" Lanna whined.

"Yeah well, call me rude then," she said as she shut the front door.

I chuckled slightly and shook my head. That girl was definitely the strangest person I had ever met. I looked up and felt my face pale. She left me with three women who were looking at me with strange looks on their faces: that of love-sickness.

"So Vaughn, who do you like most out of all of us?" Natalie asked.

I swallowed hard and made a beeline for the door. I hoped Chelsea hadn't gone too far. I shut the door as quickly as I could and held it shut as I felt something pulling on it.

"What the-? Why can't we open the door?" Lanna whined.

I ran for Chelsea's ranch, stumbling and almost falling over a few times. I made my way into her stable and found myself nose to nose with the horse from earlier.

"Hey bud," I said, patting his nose and catching my breath.

He tossed his head and snorted at me. I laughed and patted his neck as I listened for noise outside.

"What is it, Bandit?" I heard Chelsea say.

The little dog appeared less than a second later, wagging his tail and barking. I smirked and knelt down to the dog. Chelsea walked in and jumped slightly.

"Vaughn? When did you get in here?"

I chuckled. "How could you leave me all alone with all those crazies?" I asked, glancing up at her.

She put her hands on her hips. "I left because they were all getting lovey-dovey with you." She crossed her arms and pouted slightly. "Three love-sick girls drooling all over you, makes me sick."

I smirked and stood up, walking up to her. She uncrossed her arms and looked up at me. "Don't you mean, four love-sick girls?"

She frowned at me. "Julia is your cousin, you perv."

I chuckled. "Not her. You."

Her face turned bright red and she looked down. "Me? Like you like that? Come on! As if!"

I smirked and held back a chuckle. "Oh? So then you won't mind accompanying me to the Diner as friends then. I can give you your gift as well."

She looked up at me, the remnants of her blush still present. "What'd you get me?"

"You'll have to find out," I said, flicking her nose slightly.

Her blush increased and I smiled at her. She was too damn cute for her own damn good. I kissed her cheek and walked out.

"Wh-Where are you going?" she stuttered.

I turned and saw her holding her cheek. "I have to go fight through the scary, love-sick women to retrieve your gift....Unless of course, you don't want it."

"Yes I do! I'll even pay for your dinner if you get it!" she said quickly.

I chuckled. "That's not necessary, but a goodnight kiss might be in order."

She blushed deep red as I turned away. Teasing her was way too easy.

* * *

**Vaughn and Chelsea sitting in a tree (not really). K-I-S-S-I-N-G! Haha, have a good day everyone =)**


	9. Chapter 9

**Ok, this is a longer chapter (the longest one so far) and probably my favorite so far. Um, so yeah. Enjoy it ^^**

**Harvest Moon (c) Natsume  
**

* * *

**Chapter 9**

Seeing as I do not wish to relive the events that occurred once I retrieved Chelsea's gift, I refuse to talk about what went down. Just thinking about it makes me shudder.

It was near dinner-time when I headed to Chelsea's ranch again. She was sitting on the fence between Betty's area and Belle's. It looked like she was talking to them, but as I got closer, she was singing. I couldn't tell what the words were and as I got closer, she stopped. Bandit was barking and gave away my position.

"You ready?" I asked.

Her eyes wandered to the bag on my back and then back to my face. "Do I get to open it here, or do I have to wait?"

"You're too impatient," I said with a smirk. "You'll have to wait till the Diner."

She smirked and put her hands on her hips. "Oh, you really wanna be blushing in public?"

She was good. I felt my face redden slightly. "Hn, got me there."

She giggled and grabbed for the bag. I shifted slightly to the left and she grabbed air.

"You will have to wait until after we get back here then, little miss impatient."

She stuck her tongue out at me, but giggled afterwards. I smirked and we headed out together. She put Bandit in the house, placing my bag just inside the door, and locked up. Then we headed to the Diner.

* * *

We took my usual spot; far back left corner; and sat across from each other. Friends did that, didn't they? Well, we ordered our food (porridge and a glass of milk for me, spaghetti and chocolate milk for her) and began playing the waiting game. The drinks arrived after a few minutes, but she seemingly got bored, because she tried balancing the salt on the pepper shaker. She then tried to get the fork and spoon to balance on the knife that was balancing on the pepper shaker.

"Bored are we?" I asked, motioning to said sculpture.

"Well yeah. I hate waiting for food," she said, concentrating on getting a napkin to drape over the sculpture.

I purposely hit my knee against the bottom of the table (though I made it seem accidental), causing the balancing act to crumble to the tabletop. She scowled at me, but I merely raised my eyebrows at her as innocently as possible.

"Fine, you don't want me to entertain myself, we'll play twenty questions. And no objections because you just toppled my creation."

"I did no such thing and shall not participate in such a game," I said, smirking.

"Enough of the lame fancy talk. I'll ask a question and we both answer it. Got it?"

"Sure..."

"Good, now what's your favorite color?"

"You never answered your last question," I said, my smirk widening.

She smacked my arm and glared at me. I chuckled and shook my head.

"It don't matter....Anything dark, I guess."

She smiled. "I like blue; mostly dark shades."

I thought for a second. A question I could ask that didn't sound cheesy....

"What's your favorite food?"

"Grilled Cheese dipped in ketchup," she said grinning.

"Ew....Mine is porridge."

"Don't deny it till you try it," she said with a giggle. "What's your favorite season?"

"Autumn."

"Same," she said giggling.

I blushed slightly as my next question came to mind. "Who's your favorite person on the island?"

She blushed too. "Well, you probably."

"Hn, that makes one of us...I don't have a favorite."

She scowled at me, but shrugged. "Who do you have a crush on?"

I looked at her wide-eyed. "Nobody. Why would I?"

"Just a question, sheesh. I have a crush on nobody as well."

I smirked. Good; I didn't want to deal with competition. Wait, what am I thinking? I just told her that I had a crush on nobody....Ugh, I'll just blame my hormones...

"What are your....favorite type of pants?" I asked, looking down at my black jeans.

I heard her snort slightly, but she held it back as best as she could. "What's with the random question?"

"You said-" I began, but stopped when she waved her hand at me.

"I know, I know. I dunno....Anything that's comfy to wear."

I smirked. So true. "I prefer anything that goes with my hat. Hence why I wear black jeans all the time."

"Do you ever change your clothes?"

"Is that one of the twenty?"

"No, off the books."

"I have several pairs of the same jeans and matching shirts."

"Hm. Odd...What's your favorite weather condition? You know, rain, sleet, hail, snow or sun..."

I chuckled slightly and leaned back. "I prefer the rain. It's easier to relax listening to the raindrops on the roof."

She giggled. "Took the words outta my mouth, you thief."

I smirked. "What's your favorite ice cream flavor?"

"That's a trick question: all ice cream is good," she said.

I cocked an eyebrow at her and she giggled. "Ok, ok. I like chocolate best."

"Couldn't tell," I said, motioning to her chocolate milk. "Same here though."

She giggled again and I tipped my head down. She was too cute...

"What's your favorite toothpaste flavor?"

I looked up at her and saw her gazing up at the ceiling with her finger on her chin. "That was even more random than my pants question....But I guess peppermint..."

"Same...Or just mint in general....As long as my mouth feels cold when I breathe, I'm good."

I rolled my eyes, but I couldn't help to smirk. She had me doing that a lot lately...

"Favorite movie."

"Anything funny."

"I hate watching movies. People talk too much..."

She giggled. "Typical length of your shower."

I again looked at her with a cocked eyebrow. What was it with her and random questions? "I dunno, ten minutes?"

"Twenty here."

"Favorite genre of music."

"I have lots. The fave changes every so often....Now it'd have to be a tie between pop and country."

I smirked. "I'm a die-hard country man."

She giggled and winked at me. "I couldn't tell."

I tilted my head down and blushed deeply. She giggled again, but I didn't look up.

"Favorite animal."

"Any animal is fine for me."

"I like dogs; or wolves. Canines in general I guess..."

"Would you swim if you had to?"

"Not in public..."

"I'd rather not, to be honest."

"How often do you exercise?"

I simply chuckled. She seemed to be waiting for a proper response, but I motioned for her to answer. I never exercised, so I wasn't going to answer.

"I work on the farm, so I guess, I exercise every day."

"Do you like the heat?"

Suddenly, it sounded like she was choking, so I looked up worriedly. She was clutching her throat and made it seem as if she was dying. She then fell face-first onto the table.

"Chels?" I asked, lifting her head up.

She giggled and motioned for me to continue as I had. I rolled my eyes and dropped her head, it slamming on the table harder than I had intended. She whined and rubbed her forehead, glaring at me, but said nothing.

"I hate the heat."

"Favorite genre of book."

"I don't like to read books," I said, giving her the oddest look I could pull off. "I read the newspaper every now and again, but that's it."

"As long as the story is something that isn't real, I love it."

"Ocean or Lake?"

"Ocean."

"Same."

"What's your favorite ore?"

I raised my eyebrows at her. She placed her chin on her folded arm on the table and traced the perspiration on her glass of chocolate milk. She then rolled her head to the right and glanced up at me.

"I'm not sure. Rocks never interested me..."

"I like amethyst...It's a vivid purple," she said quietly. She then glanced up at me again. "Your eyes are like amethyst too ya know...Did anybody ever tell you that?"

I thought back to the last week of spring. Sabrina had told me that, but I had shrugged it off. She could be rather annoying, that girl.

I nodded. "Sabrina told me once, but it just seemed like a lame pick-up line..."

She shook her head and concentrated on her glass again. "Nah, it's the truth."

I hesitated with my question. I couldn't think of a decent one so I looked around. The first thing to catch my eye was an acoustic guitar hanging on the wall over the front counter.

"Do you play an instrument?"

"I used to play the piano as a child...I even learned how to play the acoustic guitar, but I don't anymore...I prefer singing anyways."

I smiled as I remembered hearing her sing. "I play the acoustic guitar rather well, if I do say so myself. I have one back in the city and I play from time to time on the balcony of my apartment. The people above me yell at me, but I usually flick 'em off."

She laughed a little, but seemed sad suddenly. I went to ask about it, but the food arrived, ending our game.

* * *

We got back to her house around seven or so and she hadn't said anything since the game ended, other than 'thank you' to the waitress. She unlocked the door and stepped inside, waiting for me to step in.

Her house was small, but cozy. There was a bed at the back left of the room, a kitchen area at the back right, a bathroom off to the right of the room, a couch not far right of the front door, and a closet off to the left. The bag I brought the present in was just inside the door and I picked it up.

"Here," I said, handing her the bag. "I didn't wrap it, so I figured the bag could be the wrapping or something."

She smiled, but didn't say anything. She opened the drawstrings of the bag and put her hand in. Her face brightened as she peered into the bag and a wide smile spread across her face as she pulled out the little cow. I had tied a red velveteen ribbon around its neck for appeal. She snuggled it to her face and giggled.

"She's so cute, Vaughn. I'm gonna call her Belle, after the calf you named for me," she said, smiling at me.

I tilted my head down as I blushed. "Well, I'm glad you like it."

I heard her footsteps on her hardwood floor and looked up. She placed the plush on her pillow, adjusted it a little and then walked back over. I tilted my head down again, but she ducked into my view.

"Thank you very much, Vaughn."

She wrapped her arms around my chest and laid her head against it. She snuggled me slightly, but not enough for someone to notice had they been watching. I wrapped an arm around her shoulder awkwardly, heart pounding in my chest. She giggled, so I assumed she heard it. She looked up at my face and smiled softly.

"Do I still owe you that kiss? Or was the dinner part of the gift?" she asked.

I swallowed hard, blushing deeper, had that been possible. Was I ready to kiss such an innocent girl? One who obviously had never been tainted by any man before? No. Her purity and first kiss belonged to someone better than me.

I tipped my hat at her in a parting gesture. "It was part of the gift, Chels. I'd best get going before Julia thinks something happened."

I walked to the door and she followed, obviously seeing me out like a good hostess should do. I turned just outside the door and she leaned against the doorframe.

"Again, thank you for the plush, and thanks for dinner too. It was a tolerable birthday, I'd say," she said with a small smile.

I tipped my hat again. "That's what friends are for Chels."

I went to turn to leave, but she suddenly stepped forward. She got on tip-toes and kissed my cheek lightly. When she backed up, I instantly touched my face. She blushed deep red and found a sudden interest in the doormat.

"Well, see you tomorrow, Vaughn."

"Y-Yeah..."

She shut the door slowly, leaving me in the porch light. I walked away dazed.

I think I was just kissed by an angel. No, that sounded stupid....But it was soft....GODDAMN HORMONES!

But it _was_ soft...

* * *

**They played 20 questions, but I highly doubt there were twenty questions....LOL I got lazy XD**

**Thanks to everyone who has reviewed/plans on reviewing. Reading them always make me smile and feel special =)  
**


	10. Chapter 10

**Ok, I got the idea for this chapter after the review I got from NotSoSlightlyCrazy (love the name by the way). I figured that I may explain why I think Vaughn would see himself in such a negative light. So here's the explanation. And yes, it's supposed to be slightly random and almost sad....I think....I dunno, just read it XD**

**Harvest Moon (c) Natsume**

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**Chapter 10**

It was a lonely summer after Chelsea's birthday. She became too preoccupied with her ranch work to really sit and talk anymore. She'd greet me at the dock on Wednesdays like usual, but I wouldn't see her again until Thursday evening. She'd give me a jug of milk or the occasional bowl of porridge and apologize for not having time for dinner.

I knew she had plenty of work to do and I thought it was a good thing, but it felt like something huge was missing from my life. I realized near the end of summer that it was my best friend whom was missing. I vowed that autumn would be different and we'd go for a walk on Thursday afternoons and have lunch in the meadow or something. She made me feel like I was actually needed in life.

But autumn turned out to be much worse.

She planted three times as many crops as she did in summer (she had six rows of corn and four of tomatoes), she had bought another calf after getting Belle pregnant, she bought three more chickens, and she suddenly found a new interest in fishing and mining. It was a very lonely autumn after all...

* * *

It was a rainy Thursday, near the end of fall, though I didn't know the date. I had high hopes that Chelsea would come to visit due to the lousy weather, but she had headed up to the mine anyways. I felt totally bummed and was taking it out on Julia.

"Are you two fighting again?" Julia asked, scowling at me.

I threw my arms in the air. "If we are, I wasn't informed! I'm not mad at her for anything, she just doesn't even pop in for more than a few seconds. It's frustrating!"

"Well yeah, get used to it. You're best friends with a ranch owner. She's got money to make, several animals to tend to, and a town to fix. She's the closest to a government this island has," Julia said, drying a glass by the sink.

I sighed. She had deduced that the week prior, but it didn't make me feel better. I folded my arms on the table and laid my head on them. "Well, it sucks. We should make her take a break before she falls apart," I grumbled.

Julia giggled and turned to me. "It's cute to see you so love-sick, Vaughn. She'd stop in a heartbeat if she knew how you felt, ya know."

I rolled my eyes. "I'm not in love with Chelsea. She's my friend and nothing more; close to family if anything more. It just pains me to think that she could be passed out in the mine or close to sickness because she works too hard. You know as well as I do that she won't tell anybody if she needs help."

"Huh, I wonder where she got that stubbornness from," Julia said sarcastically.

I rolled my eyes again, smirking widely. "I can't help that my ways rub off on her. She's too damn easily influenced."

She pointed a wooden spoon at me and waved it threateningly. "You had best keep your hands to yourself. Momma would get very angry with you if you-"

"Who do you think you're talking to?" I growled. "I've never done anything immoral with a girl before and you know it."

I stood to leave, but she grabbed my arm. "I wasn't going to-"

"You were! I can't help that mom was the way she was! But I'm not like her!"

Tears started streaming down her face, but I didn't care. I walked into the back room and into my room, flopping on my bed.

Past memories flooded back slowly. I had never known my parents, but I had overheard conversations about them from family. Most were horrible comments to make. Not even Mirabelle said nice things about her sister.

The man my mother married was not my real father. I was the result of an affair that my mother had and my family hated me for it; everyone except Mirabelle and Julia of course. It can't be helped, I guess, but I grew up thinking that I was a monster or something: not worthy for anybody. It almost hurt when Mirabelle had contacted me telling me she was moving to the island to work. That meant I had to get my own place and could never see her again. She had probably contacted Jake in the first place to get me to be the animal trader....Yeah, probably.

I rolled to my back and sighed. Mirabelle was the only one in the family who saw past my lineage and believed I had a heart of gold. I chuckled at that thought. If gold was warm, then my heart was steel. Oh wait, I already said that at some point....Oh well, I'm simply emphasizing the fact.

I had to admit: Chelsea made me feel less....well, worthless and mean. I felt like I was with some holy being and had to be a perfect little angel or she'd leave for some reason and I'd never feel good again. I could probably tell her she was the ugliest girl ever (she's not and I know it) and she'd laugh at me and tell me it was true. She made every mean thing I said into a compliment of some sort.

I threw my pillow at the door and rolled to my stomach again. I put my head on my folded arms and sighed. She was such a complicated girl that I was tearing myself up over it. She couldn't see my past, but she obviously knew I wasn't the best guy around. My meanness is just a mask I wear to hide my abnormality. People who knew my mother (family mostly) shunned me and told their kids that I was a horrible kid. So fine, they want to think that I'm mean, I'm gonna be mean. I'd shove their kids into the dirt, call them stupid or peg them with kickballs when they pissed me off.

I chuckled. I was such a mean little kid and nobody ever told me off. I had no folks so people couldn't just walk up and say 'let me speak to your mother'. I could then use that against them and almost everyone knew it. I smirked; I was still a nasty guy.

I sighed. No I wasn't. Once I opened up to people, I treated them differently. I was usually cold to girls who fawned over me, but didn't actually take the time to get to know the real me. They just wanted to kiss me (or something else) without understanding me. Annoying as hell...

I heard a knock on my door and I rolled to my side.

"What?" I asked coldly.

Mirabelle appeared and picked up the pillow I had thrown. She looked up at me motherly. "Julia said that you were in a 'mood'."

I rolled my eyes, but smiled. Mirabelle was the closest thing to a mother I could ever have. She could read me like a book and knew when I was in a 'mood' that I just needed someone to talk to.

"Yeah, kinda..."

"You brought your mother into the conversation..." It wasn't a question. It was a fact that saddened her.

She crossed over to the bed and sat down, touching my hands. I glanced down and saw that they were clenched tight. I unclenched them and ground my teeth.

"You wanna talk?" she asked, putting the pillow where it belonged.

"Not really," I said curtly.

She smiled. "You know as well as I do that you're not your mother," she said, pushing a piece of hair out of my face. Had anyone else done that, I would've yelled. "You are your own person and can make your future as you think it should be."

"Then why do I feel like a poison or something?" I asked as I stood and began pacing.

"A poison?" she asked skeptically.

"Like some sort of tainted meat or something. Like something dirty!"

She chuckled. "My sister was a very scummy person. She saw a cute face and went into a certain mode to get what she wanted." Mirabelle shuddered. "To think I was the older sister to such a woman; I can't even bear it."

I scowled at her. She was not making me feel better. She looked up and smiled as if reading my mind.

"You're not like her though. I know that you treat all women with decency. You may be a little cold about it, but you are very respectful. It was the way that I raised you to be."

I turned away from her. "That doesn't change what I am...." A bastard child. I couldn't say it aloud; it irritated me too much to say.

She hugged me tight from behind. "You are my nephew. I'm sure that even Chelsea can look past what you hate about yourself."

I tensed up and she chuckled. "Julia told me that you may have a little thing for Chelsea. I think that she's perfect for you, but that's just the Mother Hen side of me."

I smiled at her use of my term for her. She kissed the top of my head motherly and released me from her grip.

"Give Chelsea a chance, Vaughn. She may accept you when others refuse to."

She walked out, leaving me alone to my thoughts.

* * *

**That's why I think Vaughn would be cold to people....But hey, just my opinion....**

**Read and Review if you'd like to. And have a good day =)  
**


	11. Chapter 11

**Ok, I know that it's been a little while since my last upload, but I have a good reason! I work with race horses and I have to be there when they race -.- That sucks up most of my time and by the time I'm done, I wanna sleep cuz horses are like massive children.....Anyway.**

**Here is the eleventh installment of my story. I hope you like it =)**

**Harvest Moon (c) Natsume  
**

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**Chapter 11**

Before I knew it, winter had settled onto the island. The boat ride became almost unbearable, but I still made the trip. Lucky for me, Mirabelle always had a mug of hit milk waiting for me when I walked through the door.

"Close the damn door, Vaughny! It's freezing outside!" Julia barked.

I smirked and opened the door wider. She pulled the blanket she was under closer to her and shimmied closer to the fireplace Gannon recently added to every house. I then chuckled and closed the door, removing my boots at the door.

"Sheesh, you've gotten meaner since you and Chels stopped talking. You won't even let Elliot inside when he comes over," she whined. Her teeth chattered momentarily. "I want the love-sick Vaughny back."

I rolled my eyes and snatched my mug of milk off of the counter. "I told you: it's not that we aren't talking, she just doesn't come to see me anymore."

I had decided on the ride over that I was going to confront the little snot about not visiting. I wanted to warm up first though: I can't poke anyone with frozen fingers.

The front door opened and I turned expecting to see Mirabelle. I almost dropped my mug in surprise as to who it was.

"Hey guys. Goddamn, it's cold," Chelsea said as she stepped out of her boots. She walked up to me. "Is that hot cocoa?"

"No, hot milk."

She crinkled her nose. "Do you think Mirabelle will mind if I make some hot cocoa?"

"There's some on the stove, help yourself, Chels," Julia said as she took a sip of her own hot cocoa. "Oh, and Vaughn says that he misses you."

I was flabbergasted. Julia was acting like Chelsea came over every day and hung around like she had in spring. It was as if Chelsea hadn't been ignoring Julia at all: only me. I slammed my mug onto the counter, almost shattering it.

"Can one of you tell me what the hell is going on?" I growled.

Both women looked at me in shock.

"What do you mean?" Julia asked.

"I mean, why are you acting like she never even stopped showing up? And why are you here? Winter too boring for you?"

Chelsea's face fell and softened slightly. "I know I've been avoiding you, but believe me, I have a valid excuse..."

"Chels?" Julia questioned.

The smaller girl shook her head. "It's a private matter. C'mon Vaughn. I wanna talk in private."

I looked at her confused. What could possibly be so valid that it was a private matter? If she was going to tell me some line of total bullshit, I was going to lose it.

The two of us bundled up again and headed north to her ranch. She unlocked the door to her house and slipped inside. I followed and removed my boots. There was a warm fire burning in her new fireplace and Bandit was curled up on a rug in front of it.

"So what's going on? You selling the ranch and don't want me to find out?" I asked as I looked around. The room was more organized since the last time I saw it.

"Well, you're not far actually..."

I shot a glare at her. "Excuse me?" I growled.

She sighed and turned away, taking off her scarf and hanging it on a coat hanger. "I have to go back to the mainland for a while."

I gritted my teeth and clenched my fists. "Why?" I managed to ask without shouting.

She turned back and her eyes were wet with tears. "My grandfather is in the hospital."

My posture slumped and my eyes widened. That was the furthest conclusion my mind could have come to. She wiped her eyes quickly and strode over to her bed. The cow plush I had given her was on the pillow, but the ribbon was crinkled as if she snuggled with it while she slept.

"My cousin called me just after my birthday and told me he was admitted. The doctors gave him until the end of winter," she explained.

She turned again and bit her lip. "I've been trying to make more money. Plus, I've been too frightened to be around you because I know how mad you'd get if I left."

"Only if you left without a reason."

She smiled sadly. "Well, I was hoping that....Maybe you could watch the ranch for me? I don't know how long I'll be gone, but I don't expect to be back until spring."

"So late? Why?" I asked.

She began playing with the hem of her shirt. "He isn't going to live. In fact, I bet he'll ask to be put out. He's always been that way. Plus...."

She turned away again. "He's all alone for the most part. My cousin and I are the only ones left. My parents died in a car accident when I was seventeen and Alex's folks died when he was a kid. He's years older than I am, so he's been on his own for a long time now.

"Grandma died a year back now, so he isn't gonna wanna stick around much longer. He'll wait to see me and then ask to be let go."

"The hospitals can't just kill people like that," I pointed out.

She chuckled. "My grandfather will find some way to make them do it. He's a clever old man, but he's still just an old man."

There was a long silence while I mulled it over. She was right: her grandfather dying was a valid excuse. But why tell only me? I voiced that thought.

"I don't want to make a huge deal about it. If Mirabelle finds out, she'll go all Mother Hen on me," she said smirking slightly. "And Jules will tell everyone and you know it."

I smirked. "Yeah, she would...But I dunno....I don't think I should stay around here more than I have to."

She giggled. "Would you drive everyone nuts or the other way around?"

"The other way around," I said with a smirk.

She giggled and there was a shorter silence.

"I might know of someone who'd be willing to help," I said quietly.

"Yeah? Who?"

"His name's Mark."

"Oh, that blonde guy who came mid-fall? He seems a bit....energetic."

I laughed. "Well yeah, but he'd be more than eager to help. Plus, it'll be good for him."

She smiled. It felt good to have my best friend back. I could be myself and I felt my recent meanness fading.

"Let's go ask him," she said grabbing my wrist.

I smiled. Yes, having my best friend back was a good thing.

* * *

**Back to happy Vaughn =)**

**Update: I changed her cousin's name from Daryl to Alex. Daryl seemed to strange for him.  
**


	12. Chapter 12

**Wow, talk about brain damage. I've been trying to get this stupid chapter figured out, but for some reason, my brain didn't want to cooperate with me. Stupid brain *pokes with Q-Tip***

**Harvest Moon (c) Natsume =3**

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**Chapter 12**

Chelsea didn't know where Mark was staying. She had gone to the Inn in the main part of town and I laughed at her. She puffed out her cheeks childishly, so I forced the air out by pushing on both cheeks at the same time. She squealed, I laughed.

"So where does the little wanna-be live?" she asked, stepping back into the frigid air.

I chuckled and grabbed her wrist. Her wrist was small; I could wrap all of my fingers around it. I smiled at the thought and led the way towards the east town.

"He lives in the Hotel by the Diner. He didn't have enough gold to have Gannon build him a house."

"Oh," she said, turning bright red.

I smiled at her and kept leading the way.

Mark was pacing his room (as he always is) and didn't even notice us walk in. He was only a few inches taller than Chelsea was and he had his blonde hair under a backwards baseball cap. Chelsea walked up to him and started talking to him.

I tuned them out and tried not to glare at Mark. He obviously got along very well with Chelsea and it was easy to see that she was comfortable in his presence. It was odd, feeling jealous of this guy. He hadn't known her as long, but it seemed like he was in love with Chelsea.

"Vaughn? You ready?"

I snapped out of my thoughts and saw Chelsea looking up at me anxiously. She was holding onto my sleeve and tugging towards the door. I nodded and she smiled.

"Ok Mark. Be at the ranch at six sharp. Otherwise, I'm not gonna show you anything," she said with a smile.

He laughed. "Alright, alright. I'll be there. See you tomorrow, Chelsea."

"Bye Mark."

* * *

"You seem very crabby Vaughn....At least since we went to see Mark..."

We were back at the shop and I had snapped at Chelsea when she asked me a question. I was too consumed with the possibility of competition for Chelsea's attention. I was here for her first; Mark couldn't just show up and take that away from me.

"I'm....preoccupied right now..." I muttered.

"He's consumed with hatred," Julia said with a smirk on her face. "Ain't it obvious?"

I glared at her while Chelsea merely tilted her head cutely.

"Did I anger you again, Vaughn?" she asked, looking up at me sadly.

Goddamn her cuteness. "No Chels, you didn't. I promise," I said, half-smiling at her.

She grinned and sipped at her hot chocolate. She was sitting in a chair next to the window watching the snow fall. Julia was sitting at the table and I was standing cross-armed in between them. For the most part, the two would talk around me and I'd just stand there thinking. Mirabelle was nowhere in sight, as usual.

"I wish it were spring..." Chelsea sighed.

"Oh don't we all? Winter is so dreary and cold," Julia piped in.

"Oh, but there's the New Year's festival and Starry Night. Those are the best festivals ever," Chelsea said with a smile.

"Do you have a special guy you're gonna spend 'em with?" Julia asked. I could hear her hinting about me and Chelsea being together.

She thought for a second and then a grin broke out on her lips. "Bandit."

Julia spit out the mouthful of cocoa she had and choked on it. I was trying my hardest not to roll on the floor with laughter.

"What? He's the only one I was planning on hanging out with those days. Vaughn won't be here for the Starry Night or New Years," she said with a shrug.

I looked at her in shock. Julia snorted slightly.

"How do you know? Did you check to see what festivals he'd be here for?" she asked holding back laughter.

Chelsea blushed and looked back out the window. She had? Why would she have done that? Did she actually...Wait; she won't be here for either festival either...What was she doing, stringing Julia along like that?

"I'm pretty sure if you asked, Vaughn would _love_ to stay for the Starry Night with you, Chels."

It was my turn to blush. I tilted my head down, but Julia smacked my hat off of my head.

"Oh come now, Vaughn. No need to turn so red," she teased.

I knelt down to get my hat, but Julia snatched it at the same time. I tugged it away, but she held firm and tugged back.

"He probably would stay. But I don't have the guts to ask," Chelsea said.

Both Julia and I stopped pulling on my hat and looked at her. She was sipping her cocoa and staring out the window still. She sighed.

"But I won't be here for either festival either..."

Now, the moment of truth...

"What? Why not?" Julia asked.

"I have family matters to deal with. I'm leaving tomorrow on the noon boat. Mark's gonna look after the farm for me, but can you keep an eye and ear out? I kinda don't fully trust him yet."

"Chels, when did you decide this? What kind of family matters?" Julia asked, walking over to Chelsea and placing her hands on the smaller girls' knees.

"I decided I was leaving in summer. And the matters don't matter. I don't want you to worry though; I promise that I'll be back before the Goddess festival."

"You're gonna be gone that long? But Chels!"

Chelsea shook her head. "Look, I've decided, ok? I just want to know that you'll check up on Mark every once in a while. If he kills any of my animals, I'm gonna be pissed."

I chuckled and crossed over to her. I placed my Stetson on her head and smiled.

"I'm gonna head to the mainland with you tomorrow. I don't trust city-folk," I said, my chivalrous side kicking in.

Julia smirked, but said nothing. Chelsea tilted her head back and giggled.

"You don't have to go through all that trouble Vaughn."

I smirked. "I also wanna be there when you show Mark the ropes. He's not gonna be as good as you are, that's for sure." I glanced over at Julia whose eyebrows were arched and a smirk was plastered on her face. "Besides, I probably know the city better than you do. Don't need you getting lost, now"

Chelsea took the Stetson off of her head and looked up at me. She looked as if she were about to cry, but broke into a smile.

"That really means a lot to me Vaughn," she said as she stood up.

"Hey, no problem. I just-" I began

I was cut short when she wrapped her arms around me. I froze completely and couldn't move.

"You really don't have to do all of this just for me. I'm sure I can navigate the city just fine on my own," she muttered.

I was still in a tense stance that I couldn't get myself out of. I wanted to hug her back, shove my face in her hair and nuzzle the crap outta her. The only thing stopping me from doing so, was a certain blonde haired woman on the brink of laughter.

"Chels, really. It's the least I can do..." I muttered, trying my hardest not to blush from the close contact.

She looked up at me and smiled ever-so cutely. I could feel the blood rushing to my cheeks.

"Thank you Vaughn. Very much. You don't even know how much this means to me; having my best friend with me."

I felt a lump grow in my throat. We were best friends: nothing else. I had to stop feeling like there could be more, especially when her grandfather was on the brink of death. I took a deep breath with my eyes closed, managed a small smile and opened my eyes. I hugged her back slightly.

"I'll always be here for you, Chelsea."

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	13. Chapter 13

**Oh my god, the long awaited thirteenth chapter! I want to thank all of you for being so patient :) I would give each of you a cookie, but I can't cook for the life'a me. So, how about you read the story, review and be happy? Sound like a deal? Ok! :)**

**Harvest Moon is still (c) Natsume  
**

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**Chapter 13**

The next morning was a riot. Mark had no idea how to do anything. Chelsea was barking orders at him and he was running around like a chicken with its head cut off. Watching it was better than watching a sitcom.

"Vaughn, what are you smirking at?" Chelsea asked, scowling at me.

I forced my face to go blank and I just stared at her. "I'm not smirking," I said innocently.

She smirked and rolled her eyes before turning back to Mark. "No! That's not how you hold a milker!"

I chuckled quietly; I didn't want to get yelled at again; when she walked over to Mark and showed him how to work the milker.

We stayed until all of the work was done so that she was sure he could do it all adequately. She paid him and then sighed deeply as he left.

"I don't think I can do this, Vaughn. I mean, sure he's more than willing to help. But for crying out loud, how can you not catch a chicken? It's not like they weigh eight hundred pounds! They can't get very far with those stubby little legs of theirs."

I laughed loudly and pulled her into a friendly hug. "You need to stop talking before I hurt my stomach."

She punched me lightly in the stomach and giggled. "I hurt your stomach for you."

I made it seem like she hit me as hard as she could have and I fell over in the snow. I closed my eyes and stuck my tongue out slightly, pretending I was dead. I felt very cold fingers grab my tongue and my eyes shot open. She was squatting down next to me with her glove from her right hand in her left hand and a smirk plastered on her delicate lips.

"Weren't you the one who told me never to do that?" she asked, smirking ever so sexily.

I blushed deep red and grabbed her wrist. "Weggo," I said, though it was hard to talk with her holding onto my tongue.

She put her left hand around her ear like a cone. "I'm sorry, what was that? Lego's? Sorry, I don't have any."

I scowled at her and she giggled. She leaned close to my face and I blushed deeper.

"Ask me politely and maybe I'll consider letting go."

I rolled my eyes. "Pwease weggo uff mah punge, Chelsea."

I think the only reason she let go was to grab her stomach as she rolled in the snow laughing like a madman; er, madwoman. I rolled my eyes, but smiled. Her laughter had that effect on me. I sat up and turned to her, glancing at my watch.

"Hey, we'd best get going. The boat leaves in a half-hour," I said standing up.

Her laughter stopped almost instantly. She sat up and looked around the ranch sadly. Bandit came running from over by the house, probably because of his master's sudden change in emotion, and jumped into her lap. She hugged him tightly and sniffed hard.

"I'm going away for a while, Bandit," she said to the little dog. He looked up at her as if he understood. "I need you and Tornado to keep an eye on Mark. I want you to follow him everywhere and don't let him do anything stupid, ok?"

He barked and she giggled as he licked her face.

"Good boy, Bandit," she said as she stood up. She put him down and sighed, turning to look at me. "Am I doing the right thing, Vaughn?"

Her eyes had begun tearing up slightly, so I pulled her closer to me. "You'll be back as soon as you can. And the ranch is in good hands, despite what you may think. Mark does know what he's doing. And if he screws up, you already threatened to kill him."

She giggled and looked up at me. A tear rolled down her cheek and I wiped it away. We walked to her house, grabbed her suitcase and headed down to the shop with Bandit following us. I grabbed my stuff from my room and smiled when I saw Julia, Elliot and Mirabelle all bundled up.

"What are you guys doing?" Chelsea asked.

"We're gonna see you off, of course. We don't need to know why you're leaving to say goodbye," Julia said sadly.

Chelsea must've picked up on Julia's sadness because she dropped her bags and ran into Julia's arms. The two girls hugged for a bit, Julia on the brink of tears and Chelsea sounding as if she were doing her best not to cry.

"I promise that I'll be back as soon as I can," Chelsea said. Bandit whined and pawed at her pant leg. Chelsea scooped him up and handed him to Julia. "I want you to keep him around at night. Just make sure he can follow Mark to the ranch. I don't trust that boy as far as I can throw him."

All of us laughed. Julia nodded and snuggled Bandit as Elliot wrapped his arm around her. Mirabelle stepped forward.

"Vaughn, I want you to keep her safe. If you have to, take her to your apartment."

My face paled drastically. "I can't do that to her! The guys are pumped full of hormones!" I protested.

Julia giggled. "Sounds like someone isn't too keen on sharing."

I blushed and noticed Chelsea blush out of the corner of my eye. "You really want Damian around Chelsea?"

Julia went to protest, but merely shook her head. I rolled my eyes and grabbed Chelsea's suitcase. She, of course, protested and took it from me stubbornly. I smirked and the five of us made our way to the dock. It was a rather sad goodbye. It would be the longest away from my aunt and cousin since I arrived. I hugged them both and even shook Elliot's hand politely. Chelsea hugged all of them and kissed Bandit on the top of his head.

"We'll be back soon," I said as we boarded the boat.

Chelsea didn't say anything. Her eyes were glassed over as she looked at the three of them standing on the beach. It would be the first time she had been away from the island since arriving, so I knew it would be hard for her. I squeezed her shoulder reassuringly.

"I know this is hard. But just wait; time will fly out in the city."

She smiled weakly, but didn't say anything. When the boat's horn blew, tears sprung from her eyes and she threw herself into my chest, crying her eyes out. I was surprised, but I managed to wrap my arms around her. I waved to Mirabelle and Julia with one arm as I led Chelsea away. I knew that she didn't like being seen crying. I hoped they would understand that she was upset about leaving and not think she was ignoring them.

I brought Chelsea to her assigned room, one down from mine. I placed her suitcase on the chair next to the bed and sat her on the bed. She was sniffling like a child and trying to wipe her eyes on her sleeve. I smiled and grabbed a tissue from a box on the end table. She took it and wiped her whole face.

When she looked up, she went bright red. "I'm sorry about your coat, Vaughn."

I looked down and was surprised to see a wet spot just below my left shoulder. I chuckled and took it off. "Hey, no big deal. It'll dry."

She smiled weakly and took her own coat off. "So when will we get to the mainland?"

"It's winter, so the trip will take a few hours. It might take more if we hit a storm though."

I saw her bite her lip and look away. "Ok, well I'm gonna sleep then. I didn't get much sleep last night cuz I was too nervous."

I nodded and went to the door. "I'm next door, on your left, ok? Don't hesitate to come in if you need anything."

She merely nodded solemnly and laid down. I closed the door and went to my own room, laying down on the bed with my hands behind my head. I smiled to myself and closed my eyes. I would be with Chelsea for a while. I smiled happily as unconsciousness took me.

* * *

I woke up to the boat jolting violently. I grabbed onto the bed to prevent myself from falling. I looked out my window, but it was too dark to see anything. I glanced at my watch and saw that it was seven o'clock. We were _way_ off schedule. Depending on how far the storm made us drift, we wouldn't get to the mainland by morning probably.

I immediately thought of Chelsea and made my way to the door. Because of all of the jolting, it was hard to open the door at first. Once I got it open, I made my way to Chelsea's room. I flung the door open and then closed it quickly behind me.

I couldn't see Chelsea at all, but I could hear her crying. I looked around and quickly crossed to the bed.

"Chelsea!" I called over the roar of the storm.

She was under the bed and crawled out quickly. She wrapped her arms around my neck and shuddered. I lifted her up and placed her on the bed under the covers, crawling under with her. She snuggled up to me and I covered her ears to try and drown out the noise.

"I'm here Chelsea, I'm here," I said.

She gripped my shirt and whimpered slightly. I kicked my boots off, kicking them off of the bed and I curled my body around hers as much as I could. I knew if I fell asleep like that, I'd be sore the following day, but for Chelsea, I'd do anything.

"Please don't leave me, Vaughn," she cried as a crack of thunder crashed overhead.

I pulled her as close as I could and put my head on hers.

"I'm not going anywhere. Never."

* * *

**I think that it's only natural for Chelsea to be afraid of storms on the boat. She was in a shipwreck for crying outloud!  
**

**Read and Review my beloved readers. It would make the author (yes, that's me) very happy :)  
**


	14. Chapter 14

**This chapter is longer than the rest and I can almost guarantee that you will cry at the end. I did...  
**

**Harvest Moon (c) Natsume  
**

* * *

**Chapter 14**

When I woke up, I sighed deeply and ran my hand through my hair. The boat had gotten to the mainland at around midnight; almost ten hours behind schedule. I had taken Chelsea to the closest hotel and rented a double room for the night. I had no other choice but to take her to my apartment after we visited her grandfather.

I sighed deeply and sat up. I was dreading that more than the hospital visit and a wave of anxiety surged through me. I lived with three of my co-workers: Damian, Travis, and Justin. The three of them were often getting drunk after work or renting some prostitutes. Taking Chelsea to a place like that horrified me.

Taking me out of my thoughts was the sound of a door opening. I looked over at the bathroom door and saw Chelsea walking out in a white bathrobe. She was towel drying her hair and muttering to herself.

She looked very innocent as she dried off. My mind wandered perversely and I wondered if she was wearing anything underneath. I winced at my thoughts as Chelsea looked up and blushed.

"Oh, I uh, didn't think you'd be up yet," she stammered.

I looked away, bending my right leg to prevent her from seeing something she didn't need to. "Sorry, didn't mean to frighten you."

She giggled slightly and I looked back over. She was bending over, towel drying her hair.

"Why do guys do that?" she asked.

I blushed slightly and turned away again. "Do what?" I asked, pretending I didn't know what she was talking about.

"Whenever a guy wakes up, he bends one knee until he gets out of bed," she said, standing upright. "Why is that?"

I blushed deeply and stared at the ceiling. What would be the best explanation without rupturing her mind? Ah, I got it. "Let's just say, guys wake up with a kickstand."

I glanced over at her and saw her face go deep red. She hurried to her suitcase, grabbed some clothes and ducked back into the bathroom.

I chuckled and stretched before sitting up. She was so cute and innocent; it was rather easy to embarrass her. I located another bathrobe and threw it on. It wasn't my style, but I had to cover myself up somehow. I walked over to the bathroom door and knocked with my knuckle.

"I wanna take a shower before we head out," I said.

"Ok, j-just lemme change," she stammered.

I smirked and walked over to my suitcase. It was obvious by her voice that she was still blushing and still very embarrassed. I grabbed a pair of boxers and my jeans. The door to the bathroom opened and Chelsea was walking out with her head tilted down slightly, her hair in her face.

"You done in there?" I asked.

She nodded her head.

"So I can take my shower?"

She nodded her head.

"Are you sure you didn't leave anything in there? Like maybe....a bra?"

Her head shot up and her eyes were wide. A dark blush was spread across her face and she ran to the bathroom. She frantically searched while I chuckled.

"I was just kidding, Chels."

She came back out with a dark glare on her face. Even so, she looked very cute, as that dark blush was still on her face.

"You....You..." she stuttered.

I smirked and walked into the bathroom. I turned and placed my hand on the door. "I know, I know. I'm a jerk."

I closed the door with a smirk on my face. I heard her sigh, but I could also hear the smile on her face. My smirk faded into a smile and I took off the robe and my boxers, getting into the shower and starting the water.

* * *

Taking a shower in a hotel is always strange. The water pressure is usually much lower, the shampoo they give you is never enough for two people and the soap always smells too flowery. And yet for some reason, any time I visit a hotel for an extended period of time, I feel the need to take several bottles of the shampoo, conditioner and a few bars of soap. Ok, call me Klepto, but I doubt I'm the only one who does it.

I stepped out of the bathroom after getting dressed and I let the towel fall to my neck. Chelsea was sitting on her bed reading a book she had brought. She glanced up at me, looked back at her book, but then her eyes shot back up to me. I smirked, but quickly masked it by snatching the towel and rubbing my hair.

"You almost ready?" I asked.

"Just waiting for you to put some clothes on," she muttered.

I moved the towel away from my face and saw that she was blushing, but reading her book. I chuckled and she glanced up at me with one eyebrow raised.

"What are you staring at?"

"You."

Her blushed darkened and she rolled her eyes. I chuckled and crossed to my suitcase. I grabbed out a black shirt and my belt, not bothering with my leather vest. I ruffled my hair with the towel one last time before throwing it at Chelsea. She squeaked a little and I smirked as I put my shirt on. She threw it back at me and it draped over my head.

"I don't need your stinky towel on my book, Vaughn."

"If I'm clean, then my towel shouldn't stink," I said as I tossed it back at her.

"It still stinks like you."

I turned and raised an eyebrow at her. "You don't like the way I smell?"

She threw the towel back at me, hitting me in the face. "Shut up."

I laughed and tossed the towel in the direction of the bathroom. It fell a few feet short of the door, but I'd get it later. I buttoned up my shirt, leaving it untucked for once, laced my belt through the belt loops of my jeans and shut my suitcase. I grabbed a comb from another compartment, ran it through my hair a few times and then shook my head back and forth. I heard Chelsea chuckle and she shut her book.

"Why bother combing your hair if you're just gonna mess it up again?"

I rolled my eyes and ignored her question. After I put the comb away, I walked over to the towel and placed it in a hamper in the bathroom. I then snagged some of the shampoo, conditioner and some soap before turning off the bathroom light. I put the stolen goods into my bag and zipped the compartment. I grabbed the handles of my suitcase and turned to Chelsea.

"Are you ready yet?"

She rolled her eyes, put her book in her rucksack and grabbed her suitcase. "I told you, I was only waiting for you to put clothes on."

I smirked. "So now you're saying you prefer me with a shirt on?"

She rolled her eyes and walked past me. "Keep dreamin' cowboy."

I chuckled and followed her out. We checked out of the hotel and I suddenly got that surge of anxiety that I had gotten when I woke up. I hailed us a cab and put our suitcases in the trunk. I slid in beside Chelsea and was about to tell the cab driver where to go, but Chelsea put her hand on my arm.

"We should go to your apartment before visiting grandpa. I don't want to drag my suitcase anymore," she said softly.

A lump formed in my throat, but I nodded and told the cab driver the location of my apartment. He drove off and my anxiety spiked.

It's not like the apartment was out of the way; it was actually on the way. I just really didn't want to introduce her to those hormone pumped losers I called my roommates. Chelsea seemed to notice my anxiety because she grabbed my hand.

"What's up?" she asked quietly.

I sighed. I guess she couldn't tell. "Just nervous. I'm gonna be meeting your grandfather, after all."

She giggled. "He'll like you. Just be warned though, he might pick on you. Don't let it get to you, just pick on him back. He'll laugh," she said smiling.

I sighed again and looked out the window. How could she smile knowing that her grandfather was on his deathbed? How could she worry about me when it was much harder on her to be here, away from her ranch, with strangers, and saying goodbye to her grandfather? Shouldn't I be the one worry about her? Why wasn't I worrying about her? Why was I preoccupied with introducing her to my roommates? Why was I asking myself these weird questions? Am I crazy or something? Yeah, we'll go with 'or something'.

Chelsea sighed. "Vaughn, what are you thinking about?"

I glanced over at her. "Nothin really..."

She rolled her eyes and smirked. "Oh yeah, I'm _so_ buying that line."

I managed a smirk and turned away again. "The guys aren't like me, just so you know. They will probably...." I shook my head. "I'm not sure what they'll do or the condition they'll be in, so I'm a little on edge."

She grabbed my hand and I looked over at her, raising an eyebrow. "Just promise me that you'll beat them up if they try anything. Then I'll be just fine."

I blushed slightly and nodded. "You know I won't let them lay a finger on you."

She smiled and laughed slightly. "See? Nothing to worry about. Hey! We're here!"

I opened the door and took a deep breath before stepping out. The apartment was nice, but not perfect. It had a brick face and had five floors, twelve rooms per floor. We lived on the second floor, room 8. I got the bags out of the trunk and went to the driver.

"Do you think you could wait a few minutes? We're just dropping stuff off."

"It'll cost extra, pal."

"Fine."

I turned around and gritted my teeth. Normally, I'd tell the guy to fuck off, but with Chelsea here, I had to watch my mouth a little bit more. I led her upstairs after grabbing my bag and paused outside the door. There was no noise inside, so I assumed they were all passed out on the couch. I grabbed my key, unlocked the door and swung it open just a little.

"Stay right there," I whispered to Chelsea.

She nodded and I ducked inside. The lights were all out and seeing as it was only ten in the morning, none of the losers would be awake. As I had thought, the guys were all passed out on the couch. Unfortunately though, each was naked and had a naked girl laying on them. I shuddered and quickly put my suitcase in my room. I went back out to Chelsea and took her bag.

"You really don't want to come in," I said in a warning tone.

She simply nodded while I went back inside. I put her stuff under my bed so the guys wouldn't go through it. I then moved my suitcase to my bed and closed the door quietly behind me. As I left, one of the guys woke up, but I ducked out before he could stop me. I locked the door and grabbed Chelsea's wrist, half-dragging her downstairs. She didn't protest.

We got back in the cab and I told him to go to the hospital. He eyed us suspiciously before shrugging and leaving the curb. I stared out the window again, not thinking about anything in particular. Chelsea was silent the whole ride as well, much to my amazement.

The hospital was large, being the only one for miles around the city. It smelled like any old hospital and I wanted to puke. I hate doctors and hospitals, so it was only natural that I glared at everyone inside. Chelsea asked the secretary what room her grandfather was in and a nurse led us there.

"Grandpa!" she said, running to an old man on a bed.

He looked frail, but he hugged Chelsea right back. I leaned against the doorframe so that I wouldn't interfere with anything. I noticed a young man standing next to the old guy staring at me oddly. I nodded to him, but he didn't seem to get it.

"How is your ranch doing, Chelsea?" her grandfather asked.

She giggled. "It's doing just fine. I have someone taking care of it for now, but I'll go back and kick him off my property when I get back."

I smirked and was rather astonished when her grandfather chuckled heartily.

"That's my girl. Don't let nobody take what's yours, right Alex?"

The guy next to him nodded, still staring at me. The old man looked over and scowled.

"Who's the cowboy?"

I gritted my teeth and clamped my eyes shut. I had been warned, but I hated that nickname. Chelsea giggled rather close to me and I opened my eyes. She grabbed my hand and pulled me to her grandfather's bedside.

"Grandpa, this is Vaughn, my friend from the island. He's the one who supplies the animals that I raise. He actually works for a company here in the city, so he offered to come with me."

Her grandfather eyed me suspiciously. "Well c'mon boy, shake my hand," he said as he stuck his hand up.

I bit my tongue. Chelsea told me he was gonna pick on me. I had been warned.

I took his hand and was surprised by his grip. He started crushing my hand, so I did the same back, but with less pressure.

"That all you got?" he taunted.

I gritted my teeth and applied as much pressure as I could. He chuckled and I let go, looking away.

"Grandpa, don't pick on Vaughn," Chelsea said, punching her grandfather lightly.

"Aw, why not Chelly? He makes it too easy."

I tried not to smirk. Chelly, huh? I'd have to remember that one.

"Don't you be smirking over there, cowboy," her grandfather shot.

I turned and glared at him before sighing and lowering my head. "I'm gonna wait out there."

"Vaughn! Don't leave yet!" Chelsea demanded, grabbing my arm. "You haven't met Alex yet."

Alex stepped forward and held out his hand. "It's nice to meet you, cowboy. Or would you rather I called you Vaughn?"

He smirked almost flirtatiously and I looked at him strangely. I shook his hand and turned back to Chelsea.

"Can I go now?"

She sighed and nodded, obviously not wanting me to leave. I hesitated.

"Well whatcha waitin' for, cowboy? You wanted to hightail it outta here so bad, get goin'!" her grandfather said.

I once again gritted my teeth. He was really beginning to piss me off. I turned to him and smirked devilishly. "Maybe I'll stay just cuz you don't want me here."

He looked at me surprised. "Picked yourself a mighty feisty one, Chelly. He's a real firecracker."

I scowled at him slightly. Firecracker? Me? This man was totally off his rocker.

"You're crazy, old man," I said, shaking my head.

He narrowed his eyes at me and sat up. Chelsea looked over at him concerned. "What'd you call me, boy?"

I smirked. "I called you old man. Why, is that offending?"

He glared at me fiercely. "No, not at all, boy. But you'd best watch yourself. I'll find a nickname you'll take to your grave you keep that shit up."

I looked at him surprised. Such an old timer and yet he was cursing. "I have never heard an old man swear before."

He chuckled and sat back. "I got the mouth of a sailor, boy. I was on a navy ship once too. And if I weren't bed ridden, I'd teach you a lesson you wouldn't soon forget."

I crossed my arms. I was beginning to like this old timer. "Oh? And what's that?"

He chuckled and smirked. "Never call an old man, an old man."

I scowled at him. "You just did call yourself an old man, so why can't I?"

"Because I am simply making a point. You wanna keep pushing it, cowboy?"

I held out my hands defensively and shook my head. "Nope, I learn quickly thanks."

He chuckled again. "Atta boy. Now that you're here, Chelly, I think we'd best get that nurse to let me go."

My stomach twisted. Chelsea had been right; he wanted to die really badly. Chelsea sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Why are you so willing to die, grandpa?"

He sighed and suddenly looked much older. "Chelly, I've been around for a very long time. You and Alex are my only family left. Sure, I'd like to see you both raise a family and hold a great-grandchild in my arms, but I don't want to wait that long. Besides, that quack of a doctor gave me until the end of the month. Why bother waiting for that? I've waited long enough for death to come get me. I'm an impatient old man as you both know."

Chelsea sighed and grabbed his hand. "This isn't about dying....It's about grandma and mom and dad, isn't it?"

He looked away childishly. "Of course not. I don't know what you're talking about."

"Grandpa....I'm not mad at you. I just want to know the truth..."

He turned back and smiled sadly. "Chelly, I miss them all so much. To be around after burying your wife and children is much more painful than dying. I have waited for this moment for a very long time."

"This is totally ridiculous!"

I jumped and turned to Alex. In all honesty, I had forgotten about him. He was scowling at his grandfather and had his arms crossed.

"If you want to die so badly, why bother calling us in? You could've mailed us the will and that'd be it."

Chelsea glared at him, but said nothing. It was obvious that she hated him, but was most likely being friendly with him for her grandfather's sake. Yeah, we'll go with that until I ask later.

"You know Chelly, Alex. She'd have come anyway and asked you to come."

He looked away. "And I would've ignored her," he muttered.

"Please Chelly? One last request from your grandpa?" the old man asked, giving Chelsea a puppy-dog face.

She sighed. "Grandpa, can't it wait a few days? Just until Alex and I mull it over?"

He shook his head childishly. "Hell no! I wanna get the hell off this damn planet and go where I belong! I'm sick of all these sad-sacks of monkeys! I want off!"

She sighed and turned to me. "I'll be right back..."

My jaw dropped. She was seriously going to get a nurse? Was she out of her mind? I grabbed her wrist.

"What are you doing?" I hissed in her ear.

"I'll explain why later," she whispered back.

"I didn't ask why, I asked what."

She sighed. "It's beyond my control, Vaughn. I'll explain later."

She took her wrist back and walked out. I stared after her in shock.

"Come now, cowboy. She's doin' me a favor," her grandfather said.

I turned back to him with a glare plastered on my face. "Why the hell do you want to die so badly? Can't you see that this is killing her?"

He glared back at me. "You still don't get it, do ya boy? What would it be like if she were to disappear from your life forever? If you could never see her face or talk to her again, what would you do?"

I paused. What kind of question was that? It wasn't like I liked her....Or did I? Damnit, it must've been written on my face or something. I gritted my teeth and he smirked.

"My point. I know that she's in safe arms if you're the one she's with. She obviously likes you a lot, else she wouldn't have introduced you to me. She's a strange girl, but very easy to read. I want you to take very good care of my Chelly when I'm gone. But I'm sure I don't need to tell you that."

He smiled at me and I just stood there gawking. He knew I liked her! What kind of crazy was he? Damn, I'm going crazy! I shook my head and smirked at him.

"That's risky, gramps," Alex said. "This guy is probably some kind of rapist or something."

I glared at him and gritted my teeth. Her grandfather chuckled deeply.

"Always jumping to conclusions, Alex. Look in his eyes. Sure he's a grouch, but he's just a teddy bear under all that ice."

I looked back at her grandfather and he winked at me. I smiled slightly and turned to the door as Chelsea walked in with a nurse.

"I can't just kill him, Chelsea."

"Don't tell that to me, tell him."

The nurse sighed and looked to the old man. He crossed his arms childishly. "There's no way I'm talking to some robot woman who doesn't understand my logic. Get my doctor."

The nurse sighed again and walked out. I smirked broadly and shook my head. It was obvious where Chelsea's stubbornness came from, though I had originally thought it was from me. The nurse walked back in with the doctor. He had a clipboard and sighed as he walked in.

"What seems to be the problem now, sir?"

"I want out."

"You're in no condition-"

"Not out of the hospital, you idiot! I want out of this damn world! Pull my damn plug or give me an overdose of some lethal drug!"

The doctor sighed. Chelsea touched his arm and he looked down at her.

"I know he may seem rash, but he made a good point. Me and my cousin are all he has left. He already buried his kids and wife. He isn't gonna live much longer, so why not give him what he wants?"

I saw the puppy-dog face she was giving the doctor and felt a twinge of jealousy. The doctor sighed and closed the folder on the clipboard. He then ran his hand through his hair.

"Wouldn't you think that a heavy sedative would be best?" he asked.

Her grandfather smiled. "Now we're talking! Give me a lethal dose of it! Anything that makes me tingle all over!"

I couldn't help but smile. The old man was so enthusiastic, even when it came to how to kill himself. Chelsea smiled, but it was rather sadly. She turned back to me and walked over as the doctor walked out.

"Chelly, come here. You too, cowboy."

We crossed to her grandfather, Chelsea grabbing his hands. He smiled at her.

"Chelly, I want you to know that I love you and I will always be watching over you. When you get married to this sad-sap, I'll be smiling down at you."

I felt my face heat up and there was no way to hide it from the old man. He was lower than my hat could fall.

"Yeah, I see your face boy. Don't bother trying to deny it, just keep a close eye on her. She's my everything, but I'll let you have her. Treat her right or I'm haunting your ass."

I chuckled slightly and tipped my hat down. "Will do, gramps."

He chuckled and snatched my wrist in a vice grip. Had I not been so immune to pain, I would've yelped, but I knew better. I grabbed his wrist as well and shook it. He chuckled again and nodded. He then let go of my hand and reached for Alex. The jackass stepped forward and held his grandfathers had.

"I love you both and I know you have long lives ahead of you. Live them to the fullest and don't do anything you think you'll regret. But life is full of mistakes, so don't fret. You'll be fine."

Chelsea giggled. "You never were good at speeches, grandpa."

He grinned at her. "Well I didn't have anything written down, just that I love you. Is that enough for you, Chelly?"

She nodded and looked to the door as someone cleared their throat. The doctor walked in with a needle and Chelsea stood up quickly, grabbing onto my arm. I pulled her close as the doctor approached her grandfather.

"Don't worry, Chelly. I'll be around for a bit after he sticks me. So I'll say goodbye."

She threw her head into my chest and whimpered slightly. I wrapped my arm around her and hugged her as the doctor injected the needle. I turned away after that.

"There. Get over here and say goodbye to your gramps," the old man said.

Chelsea let of me with tears rolling down her cheeks. She went over to her grandfather and hugged him tightly. "I'm gonna miss you so much, grandpa. I love you."

He hugged her back. "I love you too Chelly. And I'll say hello to everyone for ya both."

She let go of him and stepped back. Alex hugged the old man, but said nothing. We smiled at him until the monitor beeped. The doctor took out all of the IVs and disconnected the monitors as Chelsea burst into tears on her grandfather. Alex simply walked out rolling his eyes.

"Miss? What would you like us to do?"

She looked up at him teary-eyed. I put my hand on her shoulder and stepped forward. "She's gonna need some time. Can you leave him in the morgue until tomorrow afternoon? We'll stop by and decide then."

He nodded and walked out, to get nurses or to let Chelsea cry for a bit. I gripped her shoulder slightly as she cried on her grandfather.

Death sucks...

* * *

**Read and Review**

**I know her grandfather's death is kind of rushed, but it just seemed weird to have him alive much longer. Besides, the next couple chapters are gonna wrap up his death. So yeah, hope you enjoyed it :)  
**


	15. Chapter 15

**So here it is, Chapter 15. If I offend anybody by this chapter, I'm very sorry. I don't want to, but it's how the story is gonna go. I'm apologizing now so you guys don't revolt XD**

**Harvest Moon (c) Natsume  
**

* * *

**Chapter 15**

Chelsea cried for a good hour before the doctor made us leave. I led her out to the waiting room and wiped her eyes. A few people were staring, but I got sucked into a separate world and barely noticed them.

"We'll be back tomorrow to decide what to do, ok?" I said to her.

She nodded and wiped her left eye. She looked damn cute and I couldn't help myself when I pulled her into a hug.

"What do you want to do until then?"

She shrugged and hugged me back. She suddenly stiffened, however and let go, turning around completely. I looked up and saw Alex leaning against the far wall smirking at us.

"You've got some nice candy, Chel. You gonna share?" he asked as he walked up to us.

"I really don't want to punch you in front of all of these people, so why don't we go for a walk?" she asked, gritting her teeth.

I looked down at her surprised. I had never seen her so angry before. It made me almost shake in my boots.

Alex smirked. "Fine by me. After you cousin."

Chelsea grabbed my wrist and walked towards the door. Alex smirked at me and wiggled his eyebrows, freaking me out slightly. I leaned over to Chelsea as we walked.

"What is up with him?"

"Careful what you say to him. He's gay and he has a crush on you," she said bitterly.

I swallowed hard. I wasn't sure if I should be pissed off or freaked out. Not many people liked me, let alone like _that_. The fact that it was a guy, however, pissed me off. I wasn't one to agree with the sexual preferences of others.

We got a reasonable distance away from the hospital and Chelsea whirled around, shoving me behind her. She crossed her arms and waited until Alex sauntered up to us.

"Now what was with all that bullshit? You acted like you didn't give a shit that grandpa-"

"Stop playing this silly little game, Chelsea! He wasn't my biological grandfather, so why _should_ I give a shit? You and I are only related because your moron of an aunt adopted me!"

She stepped forward, her hands falling to her sides in fist form. "My aunt was _not_ a moron! You should be grateful, you insensitive git!"

"Grateful for what? Your aunt and uncle taught me nothing! They died when I was still a child!"

"They still taught you manners! But you obviously lost yours!"

"Like you have any? What kind of a person brings a sexy cowboy to meet their grandfather when he's on his deathbed? Only you, a stupid little girl, would do something like that."

I couldn't see her face, but I could assume Chelsea was on the brink of tears based on Alex's face. Anger surged through me and I grabbed his collar, pinning him against a light pole.

"Listen here, you git! Chelsea is _not_ stupid, not even close! I've never met a girl as smart as she is! Nor have I ever met a girl who has such a jackass of a cousin who doesn't even care about her feelings! And I don't give a shit if you're not her real cousin or not; it doesn't matter. You should be careful what you say to her, cuz she'll kick your ass," I growled.

He smirked. "Damn, you have a strong grip. You are so turning me on right now."

I let go of him, mortified. I stepped back and Chelsea got up in his face.

"Will you knock it off with the homosexuality? Vaughn is clearly not gay; therefore, you need to back off!"

"It sounds like someone doesn't want to share," he said with a smirk.

I frowned. Where have I heard that before? Oh yeah, Julia said that before we left the island. I hate this guy...

"I don't have to share what's not mine," she growled.

My stomach twisted uncomfortably. I never knew how much one simple line could hurt when it came from a girl's mouth.

Alex raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Well if he isn't yours, then you won't mind me taking him for a ride?"

Whoa, that was gross. I held out my arms in front of me and starting backing up slightly. "You come anywhere near me and I'm hauling ass."

He smirked at me, but Chelsea got between us. "Drop it, pervert!"

"Oh come now, cousin," he said, grabbing her chin. "You said so yourself; he doesn't belong to you. So who are you to stop me?"

He smirked wider, but she stood her ground.

"I don't give a damn if he's not mine, but you heard grandpa!"

He rolled his eyes. "Big fuckin' deal. The old man was delusional and way off his rocker. You know as well as I do that he didn't give a damn about Vaughn."

She punched him across the face, sending him staggering backwards, clutching his jaw. She panted slightly and advanced.

"You need to go back to wherever the hell you're wanted, cuz it's not here. Don't worry about grandpa; I'm the only one he needs. I don't give a damn what you say; you were adopted so you don't deserve anything from grandpa."

She stopped advancing, shook her head slightly and turned to me. She walked up to me, grabbed my arm and started walking away.

"C'mon Vaughn. I need to get away from this asshole and fix my hand. I think I broke it."

I smirked and turned to follow her. Suddenly, her grip was ripped away and I heard a slapping noise. When I turned around, Chelsea was on the ground, clutching her cheek and Alex was standing in front of her with his arm extended.

"Chelsea, you always said too much. I thought that you may have learned not to talk back to me, but I guess that the cowboy made you forget. Hn. Maybe you shouldn't fuck her so hard, cowboy. You're making her lose brain cells."

I lunged at him as anger surged through me again. I punched him, but I don't know how many times. I was completely blind while I hit him. Chelsea pulled me off, crying and I knew I went too far.

I managed to focus and saw that Alex's face was bleeding and swelling. He sat up, wiped his mouth on the back of his hand and glared at me.

"What the fuck is that matter with you two? Beating the shit outta me for no reason..."

Chelsea turned to him in a flash. "Shut your fucking mouth! You need to learn to think before you open your goddamn mouth, Alex! Get the hell away from us and don't bother coming to the funeral!"

I looked at Chelsea in shock. She hadn't swore like that since spring. A cold wind blew and Chelsea shivered. Alex stood up, wiped the blood off on his jacket and walked away. I sighed, helped Chelsea up and wiped her face. I didn't say anything as we went to the main road, hailing a cab in the process.

* * *

I took Chelsea to a restaurant to get her mind off of her grandfather and cousin. I replayed the little spat and found it rather funny. The two of them had argued about what needed to be, but insulted each other as much as possible in the small amount of time. I glanced over at Chelsea and she was rubbing her cheek where Alex had slapped her. I put the back of my hand against it and she jumped, but closed her eyes.

"Thanks..." she muttered, smiling a little.

I smiled in response. I hated seeing her in deep thought or anything that wiped the smile off of her face. Ok, I couldn't say that. She looked just as cute when she smirked as she did when she smiled.

"Vaughn....I'm really sorry about Alex. He's usually not so annoying...He just gets that way when he's got a thing for a guy...."

She shuddered and looked up at me.

"I could never bring a guy back to meet my family cuz he's flirt with the poor guy the whole time. And mind you, I was friends with plenty of guys."

That twist came back in my stomach. I knew she was popular with the guys. Denny had tried to flirt with Chelsea whenever she went fishing; that much I knew. Pierre was always trying to teach her recipes and Elliot was always asking if she needed help. It wasn't until mid-fall that I had acknowledged that I was jealous whenever she talked to another guy. And it wasn't until I met her grandfather that I acknowledged that I might actually like her. Wait, what? When did I say that?

"You got all quiet all of a sudden," she said, snapping me out of my thoughts. "What's wrong?"

She looked up at me with those puppy-dog eyes and I fell apart in her hands. "Just silently agreeing with you. You're friends with everyone on the island, including the guys..."

"Ok, now tell me what _that's_ supposed to mean," she said smirking.

"Nah, forget about it."

She giggled, but didn't push the issue further. We ate our meal in silence and took ice cream to go. Yes, it's weird to have ice cream in the middle of winter. But it was Chelsea's idea, so who was I to say no? We walked back to my apartment instead of getting in a cab.

"Ah! It's melting!" she squealed.

"It's winter! How can it be melting?" I asked, trying not to laugh.

"Who knows? But it's melting!"

I laughed quietly as she licked the sides of it. She wound up getting whipped cream on her nose and I chuckled.

"You got ice cream on your nose."

"Where?" she asked, going cross eyed to see.

I chuckled again and I leaned over, licking her nose to get it off. Ok, I really just wanted to make her blush, and boy did it work. Her face turned bright red and she squealed slightly.

"Vaughn! I could've gotten it myself!" she whined.

I laughed and ducked when she took a swing at me. I smiled at her as she pouted. We walked a little ways in silence. I turned away, looking at a couple walking a dog when I felt something cold hit my face. I turned to Chelsea and she was still blushing.

"You weren't supposed to turn!" she whined.

I looked at her puzzled. "What are you talking about?"

She giggled and wrapped her arm around my neck. She pulled my face close to hers and licked my face gently. She was only getting revenge and I knew it. But then why did my face get so red? Why did she giggle and take my hat? Why did she have to be so damn cute?

"Eye for an eye, Vaughn!" she called as she ran ahead.

I gulped down the rest of my ice cream and chased after her. She had my hat after all. I caught up to her quickly and grabbed her around the waist. She squealed and giggled. She had finished her ice cream and was licking the remains off of her finger, looking at me as she did. She must've known she was tempting me, the little devil, so I couldn't help myself when I took one of her fingers in my mouth to help her out. She squealed and giggled, but didn't pull her finger out of my mouth.

I sucked on it until all of the ice cream was off and I took it out of my mouth. She looked up at me curiously, but said nothing. Her face was inches from mine and I was surprised to see her leaning forward ever so slightly. It didn't take any convincing to close the gap between us. Our lips met and she gasped through her nose.

Her lips were so soft and warm against mine. I couldn't keep my eyes open and I pressed a little harder. I held her as close as I could and was surprised when she wrapped her arms around my neck, pulling me even closer. I ran my finger along her chin, tilting it up slightly. She took the hint and tilted her head back a little and to the left. I eagerly shifted with her, totally lost in our kiss.

She tasted like vanilla ice cream and sugar. It was a unique flavor that had me begging for more. I opened my mouth against hers and breathed in, tasting her lips in a different way. I felt her lips part slowly and I froze. I couldn't tell if she noticed or not, but her mouth stayed open slightly. I took the dare and slowly let my tongue explore. I stopped at her lips and she sighed, so I continued until I touched the tip of her tongue. She squeaked a little, but flicked my tongue with hers. I chuckled and flicked hers back, pulling away from her afterwards.

I wiped away the spit from her mouth as she looked up at me curiously again. I smiled down at her and pushed the hair out of her face.

"I couldn't help myself. I'm sorry," I said softly.

She shook her head and hugged me. "I don't mind...really..."

I hugged her back and sighed happily. I knew I had to ask properly, but I couldn't get myself to ask. She would say something witty; knowing her; but I wanted her to be serious about it. I swallowed hard and she stepped away from me.

"Vaughn, what is it?" she asked, voice full of concern.

I shook my head and tried to pull her back into my arms. She stepped back more and scowled at me. "Vaughn..."

I sighed and closed my eyes. I took a deep breath and built up my courage. "Will you be my girlfriend, Chelsea?"

I didn't hear anything so I opened one eye. She was smiling at me warmly, lamely melting my heart in the process. She stepped forward, hugging me and nuzzling me slightly.

"Of course I will, Vaughn."

As I hugged her back I realized that this moment was the happiest moment of my whole damn life.

* * *

**They finally got to kiss! And Vaughn was actually nervous asking her to be his girlfriend! So OOC XD**


	16. Chapter 16

**Ok, Chapters will be moving much quicker from here on out because, sadly, the story is coming to a close. But there will be a surprise at the end, so just be ready for it!  
**

**Harvest Moon (c) Natsume  
**

* * *

**Chapter 16**

The days passed by rather quickly. The guys at the apartment were put into their places with my fist and my boot, quickly learning that Chelsea was mine and they were to keep their hands, thoughts, and eyes to themselves. If I caught them doing anything I found to be improper, they got another lesson from my boot or my fist, depending on what was closest.

Chelsea didn't talk to the guys much, she mostly just clung to me; not that I minded one little bit. I took time off from work; they wouldn't need the help anyways, and spent all my time with Chelsea. At night, I would sleep on the floor while Chelsea got the bed. She woke up one morning giggling like crazy because I was sore. I made her make it up to me by giving me a massage.

Let me tell you now: kissing Chelsea is the most interesting thing ever! She's never had a boyfriend (she told me), so she doesn't know what the hell she's doing when she kisses. But whatever it is that she does, it drives me crazy. We'll be kissing on my bed; her on her back, me hovering over her in a non-perverted way; and she'll suddenly run her fingers through my hair or put her hand in my front pocket or anything that sent my mind into perversion. I hated that I thought of her that way, but I loved that she _made_ me think that way. Isn't that horrible?

The day for the funeral rapidly approached and she became more antsy. We had gone to the hospital and arranged the date with the doctors and made sure they didn't inform Alex. She, of course, was still worried that he'd show his ugly mug anyway and try to claim something from the will. I would be the only one accompanying her, meaning I had to get fitted for a suit. She offered to go with me, but there was no way in hell I was gonna have her sit in a store like that and wait for me to get fitted. She'd be bored out of her skull and I didn't want her hiding in the coat rack or something and then jumping out and scaring people. She told me she always wanted to do that.

She went out on her own as a rebuttal and got a dress for the funeral. When she got back from the store, I asked to see it, but she simply stuck her tongue out and refused. I then grabbed her, insisted that I had to see it, and she shut me up by kissing me. The little devil was learning way too fast. Julia would be damn proud.

* * *

"Are you ready yet, Vaughn?" Chelsea asked impatiently.

I stood in front of the bathroom mirror horrified. I was standing in a suit. I felt so awkward and alien that I didn't want to leave the bathroom. She knocked on the door again.

"Vaughn, are you ok? You didn't crack your head open, did you?" she asked, half-joking.

"I'm still alive, Chels. I'm not so sure about my dignity though...."

"Oh come on, you coward! Let me see!"

The doorknob jiggled and I instantly grabbed it. "No! Stay out there!"

She stopped trying to get in and I heard her sigh. "Look, I'm wearing a dress, heels, makeup and earrings. You'd best get your ass out here before I kick the damn door down."

Her threat seemed to have quite a bit of intimidation behind it, so I put my tail between my legs and walked out of the bathroom. My dignity was officially dead. It was gonna be buried with her grandfather. What a shame...

Her face lit up when I walked out. She looked good too. Her dress was long, black and curvy. Oh wait, the curvy part was her. Insert perverted thoughts here. I smirked as I saw that the dress was cut in the side, just past her thigh. The shoulders of the dress didn't stay on her shoulders, they were on the upper part of her arm, revealing her small shoulders and neck.

"That dress is a tad revealing, don't you think?" I asked, my smirk widening.

She stuck her tongue out and giggled. "Shouldn't your hat stay here? I'm pretty sure you'll live without it."

I put my arms over my hat. "I'll shrivel up and die without my hat. You took away my dignity, but you can't take my hat."

She smirked and tickled me. Unfortunately, I'm not ticklish on my sides, so I simply raised an eyebrow at her. She pouted and gave me that adorable puppy-dog face.

"Please leave the hat here, Vaughn? I like the way you look without your hat."

I groaned. Goddamn her cuteness. I reluctantly moved my arms and took my hat off, placing it on my bedpost. Chelsea reached up and fluffed my hair, giggling in the process. I never thought a silly little girl could put a leash on me and command me like a dog.

"You're so cute, Vaughn," she whispered just before kissing me.

Ok, so she didn't really command me. I put my hand behind her head and pressed our lips even closer together. I had control of that much.

"I don't think I am cute," I whispered back, pulling away just a little bit.

She looked at my lips then back at my eyes. "If I say you're cute, just go with it and kiss me dammit."

I chuckled and pressed my lips to hers. She was getting to be quite the feisty little thing and I was loving every damn minute of it.

"Ok, we gotta get goin' Mister," she said. She kissed me once quick and turned to walk out.

I smirked and followed her, not caring that my hat was to be abandoned. Justin was watching TV and looked up as we walked out of my room.

He whistled. "Wow Vaughn. You look mighty handsome like that."

"WHOA! Vaughn has hair? When did that happen?" Damian asked, pretending he was astonished.

I threw my boot at him, knowing Chelsea wouldn't let me wear them to the funeral. It hit him in the stomach and he fell off the couch. Justin, Travis and I burst into laughter while Chelsea tried her best not to giggle. Damian threw the boot back at me, but I ducked.

"You look good, Vaughn. Both of you do," Travis said, smiling at Chelsea.

She smiled back. "Thank you Travis. C'mon, let's get going."

I nodded and opened the door for her. She stopped midway, looked up at me with a smirk and got on her tip-toes, kissing me gently. She then walked out as the guys groaned.

"You lucky fuck!" Damian yelled as I closed the door.

I smirked down at Chelsea and she looked up at me with an innocent face. "You did that on purpose, didn't you?"

"They have to know what's mine, don't they?" she asked innocently.

I chuckled and held out my arm. "Shall we?"

She giggled and put her hand through my arm, placing it gently on my hand. "We shall."

* * *

The funeral wasn't as sad as most that I've gone to. It was me, Chelsea and the priest. There were also the guys who had dug the hole, but they don't count as people. I wouldn't even call it a funeral. The priest didn't say much, the normal stuff said at a funeral and Chelsea simply talked to her grandfather's closed casket. I held her hand the entire time and when they put the casket in the ground, I wrapped my arm to her other arm and rubbed it gently, kissing the top of her head. She threw a rose in on top of the casket and they began putting the dirt over the casket. We thanked the priest and he left with the diggers.

"Goodbye, grandpa..." Chelsea whispered, placing another rose in front of the headstone.

She turned to me and all I could think of was opening my arms and hugging her tight. She didn't cry which I was thankful for and upset about. Thankful because I could return the suit without them charging extra, but upset because she should've been crying. I shrugged it off and held her hand during the cab ride home. She laid her head on my shoulder and sighed, causing me to smile.

* * *

The day for our departure came shortly after the funeral. We luckily didn't run into Alex again at all for the rest of the stay. Chelsea was all excited to be going back to the island, especially seeing as we would be back before the Starry Night festival. She began talking about all of the things she was going to cook me, but I simply sighed deeply. Had she forgotten that I wouldn't be there?

"Chels, I can't stay," I finally said as she took a breath.

She looked at me puzzled. "Whaddya mean?"

"I have to be here to work on the day of the Festival."

Her face fell quickly and I felt my stomach twist. "Oh...right....I forgot..."

"But, I promise I'll take New Years off, ok?"

She looked up at me a little happier. "Ok, it's a date."

I kissed her forehead gently, though I still felt bad. She then leaned away and looked concerned.

"Will you be coming back to the island with me tomorrow?"

"Well yeah, it'll be Tuesday. Jake already said I could have the extra day, so it's cool."

She grinned happily and began talking about her animals, as if I didn't know enough about them already. By the time she had finished talking, she was asleep on the couch. I smiled, picked her up and put her in my bed, tucking her in and kissing her gently. I then walked back out and fell onto the couch with a deep sigh. I felt something cold on my shoulder and I looked up. Travis was pressing a beer to my shoulder, offering it as manly as he could, the idiot. I took it and opened it.

"Ya know, I think she'd hit you if she saw you drinkin'."

"Yeah, probably. But it's not like I'm getting hammered. One beer won't kill me."

"I'm gonna miss her ya know. She cleaned this place up while she was here. It's gonna be a pigsty by the time you get back Thursday."

I sighed and smirked. "Yeah, but she's excited to get back home. She misses the ranch and everyone on the island."

"Sounds like you do too."

I looked up at him and he was looking back taking a sip.

"Well, you do."

I sighed and took a swig. "Yeah, I kinda do. I mean, my aunt and cousin live there. And it's gotten to be a routine, goin' to that little island."

"You also sound like you _don't_ want to go back."

"I can't stay and you know it. I hate being away from Chelsea."

He chuckled. "No, ya think? You never shut up about her when you're here."

I punched him lightly and we chuckled. He was the only one who could talk to me normally, not while talking about some chick he banged the night before or the potential girls he _could_ be banging. Damian was like that and Justin wasn't far behind.

"Vaughn, if you wanna spend that festival with Chelsea, I can cover for you."

I looked up at Travis surprised. "What are you talking about?"

"That Starry Night festival thing. I know you want to be with her, and it's kinda meant for couples, so I'll cover for you. Don't thank me, or else I'll have to hit you."

I smirked and held out my hand. He took it and gripped it tightly. "Thanks man. She'll be so happy."

He smirked. "Don't tell her."

I looked up at him and scowled. "Why not?"

"What would be better? Her expecting you, or her not expecting you and you show up with a present. She'd probably be in her pajamas if you show up late enough."

I smirked. "I could always stay at the hotel or something until it got late enough to surprise her. Julia sucks at keeping secrets, but she might play along with that."

Talking to Travis turned out to be rather productive.

* * *

After a short goodbye, Chelsea and I got on the boat for the island. We didn't call ahead to let anybody know, Chelsea wanted to surprise them. The ride was only two hours; no interruption from a storm or choppy waves. Just a nice, smooth trip back home. Chelsea grinned widely as the island came into view and I thought she was going to burst into tears, she looked so happy.

We walked down the dock and she inhaled deeply. She then turned to me and smiled broadly.

"It's so good to be home!" she said.

I chuckled and shook my head at her cuteness. We headed up to the barn, entering the shop with grins on our faces.

"WE'RE BAAAAAACK!" Chelsea yelled as she walked through the door.

Mirabelle and Julia were over to us in a heartbeat. Julia was crying she was so happy and Chelsea was giggling at all the attention.

"Bandit!"

The little dog bounded to Chelsea and leapt into her arms. She hugged him close, kissing the top of his head.

"Oh I missed you so much, bud! How is the ranch? Did Mark do a good job?"

Bandit barked and everyone laughed. Mirabelle gave Chelsea a mug of hot cocoa and me a mug of hot milk. The four of us sat down at the table as Chelsea explained why she was gone. Mirabelle and Julia condoled her sadly, but Chelsea managed to smile.

"It's alright. It was his time to go, so we let him go. Oh! Do you wanna tell them or can I?" she asked, turning to me.

At first I looked at her questioningly, but then I understood what she was talking about and I lowered my head as a blush crossed my face. "Go ahead..."

She giggled and cleared her throat. She then threw her arms around me and kissed my cheek, causing me to blush even deeper.

"Mine," she muttered, smirking widely.

Julia squealed. "Oh my gawd! Finally!"

"Good for you, Vaughn," Mirabelle said approvingly.

Chelsea giggled and kissed my cheek again. "Hey, wanna come with me to kick Mark's sorry ass off my property?"

I smirked. Did she have to ask that question?

* * *

**As always, my lovely readers, read and review :)**


	17. Chapter 17

**Another longer one for you guys. I'm planning to only go to Chapter 20 (25 max). After that, well.....The story will be over :(  
**

**Harvest Moon (c) Natsume  
**

* * *

**Chapter 17**

Mark was more surprised that Chelsea was back than Julia and Mirabelle had been. He was grooming Tornado when we found him.

"Back already?" he asked stupidly, putting the brush down in a bin.

He stepped forward with a grin on his face and his arms open, as if to hug Chelsea, but that wasn't gonna happen. Not on my watch. I stepped in front of Chelsea, glaring fiercely at Mark.

He glared back. "Dude, move it."

"You're not hugging my girlfriend," I growled. "Not even in your dreams."

His glare darkened, but I stood my ground. Chelsea giggled from behind me and put her hand on my arm. I glanced back at her and saw her smiling.

"You two are so funny," she said, stifling a giggle. "It's just a hug. Vaughn. If he tries anything, he'll have my axe sticking out of the back of his head for the rest of his life."

Though I didn't like another guy hugging her, I stepped aside. She did threaten him, so he knew better. I gritted my teeth as he nuzzled into her neck and sighed deeply. I clenched my fists and counted to ten. She pushed him away and stepped back. I grabbed her hand out of jealousy and pulled her to my side, glaring darkly at Mark.

"Ok blondie. You can get the hell outta here," I growled.

He scowled at me before looking down at Chelsea smiling. "Why him? He's such an asshole."

Anger surged through me, a feeling I was getting quite familiar with, and I stepped forward to punch him. Chelsea got between us and tried pushing me back.

"It doesn't concern you, Mark. Take your pay and leave," she hissed.

Mark glared at me and started for the door. I started to go after him, but Chelsea pushed me against the wall. Bandit whined at our feet and Tornado snorted from the other side of the stable.

"I know he's irritating and he insulted you, but please don't hit him," she begged. "We just got back. Don't cause problems... Please?"

I pushed her away and walked out. I wasn't gonna hit him: he was gonna hit me. I saw him putting stuff in the shipping bin so I walked over.

"So I'm an asshole, huh?"

He turned and glared at me. "Yeah, you are."

"And why does that concern you? Are you pissed because Chelsea likes me and not you?"

He shoved me away. "You haven't done jack shit for her! I've been working this ranch for almost three weeks!"

"Vaughn, don't!" Chelsea cried.

I shoved him back. "Three weeks? Big deal! Chelsea worked her ass off for _months_ before you came along! Sure, you were a big help, kid. But she's back and doesn't need ya. So beat it!"

"Who are you calling kid?" he snapped, shoving me again.

Chelsea got between us before I could push him again. She pressed both of hands on my chest and pushed me backwards. As I stumbled back, she turned and did the same to Mark. The dumb kid fell over and then Chelsea turned and glared up at me.

Her eyes teared up slightly. "Vaughn... Just stop."

Seeing as her voice was cracking a little, I tilted my head down and nodded. I felt ashamed of myself. She had asked me not to, but I hadn't listened. What kind of man did that make me? I looked up and she was paying Mark. He then glared at me and walked down the hill. Chelsea knelt down to Bandit, who probably followed her out of the stable, and picked him up.

"Chels, I'm sorry..." I muttered.

She waved her hand at me. "It's no big deal..."

She went to go into her house, but I grabbed her arm, forcing her to look up at me. Tears were rolling down her cheeks and falling onto Bandit's head. I pulled her into a hug, earning a groan from Bandit, and kissed the top of her head.

"I really am an asshole, aren't I?"

She pulled away and looked up at me in shock. "Vaughn, you're not an asshole. You just overreact a little bit."

I glared at her, but looked away quickly not wanting to make her think I was mad at her. "I'm not just gonna let some kid insult me and get away with it. You told me not to hit him. I didn't, did I?"

She giggled and stepped forward, placing her head on my chest. "Not technically, I guess. But you should've just let him think what he wants. Besides, I never knew you cared what people thought about you."

I looked down at her and saw her looking up at me. I leaned down a little and kiss her gently. Bandit groaned again and I assumed he jumped down because Chelsea grabbed my jacket and pulled me closer. Figuring she was cold, I pulled away from our kiss and went over to the door. I went to open it, but it was locked. I turned and scowled at her while she giggled.

"I'm not gonna leave the house open when I'm away. Mark might've slept on my bed or gone through my clothes or something."

I smiled a little and stepped aside as she unlocked the door. She stepped inside and flicked on lights. I followed her in, waited until Bandit ran inside and then shut the door. I kept my jacket on cuz it was cold and looked around. I had only been in her house a few times before, but it was still the same as I had remembered from the last time I saw it. There was a second bed pressed against the first one, though, a new addition. I smirked and continued my sweep around the room. The kitchen was still in the same spot, though I doubt it could've moved, and the bathroom too. I guess the only new thing in her house was the bed and our relationship.

"Christ it's cold in here..." Chelsea muttered, walking over to the fireplace.

She tossed a few logs in and tried to strike a match. She failed miserably a few times, cursing like a sailor each time. I chuckled to myself and crossed to where she was. I took the matches from her and lit one on my first try. She rolled her eyes at me as I tossed the match into the fireplace.

"Beginners luck," she grumbled.

I laughed and worked on the fire while she fumbled in the kitchen for something.

"You like hot milk, right?" she asked. "Or do you want hot chocolate like a normal person?"

"Hot milk sounds wonderful," I said, turning to smirk at her.

She rolled her eyes, but smiled as well. I stopped paying attention to the fire and watched her as she worked. She put a kettle on the stove and poured milk into it. She cranked up one of the burners and then opened one of the cabinets. She looked up and put her hands on her hips. At the very top of the cupboard were the mugs. Why she put them at the top, I didn't know. I got up quietly and went over to the cupboard. I reached up and grabbed two for her, handing them to her smirking.

"You really need to grow a bit more if you want to keep you mugs at the top," I said, grabbing her waist as she turned away to work.

"I've tried everything I can to grow more, Vaughn. I guess that means you're stuck here until I grow some more," she said sighing sarcastically.

I chuckled and hugged her close, causing her to squeal about me getting in her way. The kettle on the stove started whistling so I let go of her and walked back to the couch. I sat down on it, causing Bandit to jump into my lap and whine. I smiled down at him and rubbed his head gently. Chelsea walked over a few minutes later with the two mugs, handing me one.

"I thought you didn't like hot milk," I said, taking a sip of mine. The milk was perfect.

"Plain it's pretty gross. But if you add some honey or butterscotch to it, it's actually really good."

I crinkled my nose. "Butterscotch in milk? That's so gross."

She giggled and held her mug out to me. "Try it. You'll like it, grumpy."

I crinkled my nose more as I smelled the concoction she was asking me to ingest. She giggled and pushed it closer to me. I reluctantly took a sip. It had an interesting flavor to it.

"Not bad, I guess. If you like that kind of stuff," I said, pushing the mug back to her.

She giggled. "Told ya you'd like it."

I smiled at her and blushed slightly as she scooted closer to me, placing her head on my shoulder. We stared into the fire for a while until Bandit whined on my lap. I looked down as Chelsea put her fingers in front of his face. He licked her fingers and wagged his tail.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"He likes my milk," she said as she got up.

She got a bowl from the kitchen and poured some of the milk from the kettle into it. She then went to the fridge and took out a jar and spoon. She then spooned out a small amount of what was in the jar into the bowl and stirred it. With one hand, she opened the fridge, put the jar back in and shut it again while still stirring the mixture. Bandit jumped off of my lap as Chelsea walked back over.

"Hold on a sec, dummy. It'll burn your tongue if I give it to you right now," she said, placing it on the dining table.

He whined and sat down underneath the table, looking up at the bowl that he could smell, not see. He then turned back to Chelsea as she sat down and whined louder. She giggled and laid her head on my shoulder again.

"You shouldn't spoil him," I murmured into her hair as I kissed her head.

"I have to spoil someone. I don't have a child yet."

I blushed deep red and turned away slightly. She didn't catch on and sighed deeply.

"I wish you were gonna be here for the festival on Sunday....It's gonna be lonely with just me and Bandit..."

I tried not to give her any hints, so I sighed deeply. I kissed her head and said nothing. She got up and put the bowl on the ground, Bandit lapping at it greedily, following it as he pushed it across the floor. I chuckled as she sat back down. She shivered slightly and snuggled up close to me, kicking off her boots and pulling her feet under her. I looked to my right and saw a blanket on the arm of the couch. I grabbed it and draped it over the two of us. She sighed and put her head on my shoulder again, right where I wanted her.

"I love you Vaughn," she muttered.

I froze. I didn't know what to say.

"You don't have to say anything, though," she said quietly. "I don't expect you to jump to that just yet. Just let me be a little girly, ok?"

She kissed my cheek and laid her head back down. How could she say that she....well you know...already? I mean, we'd only been a couple for maybe a week. That is definitely not enough time to start saying _that_. Eh, maybe it's just me being me.

The door was suddenly slammed open and a cold gust of wind blew into the now warm house. Chelsea and I both jumped and Bandit yelped, dashing over to us and leaping into Chelsea's lap. Looking over the back of the couch, I saw Natalie standing in the doorway with a smirk on her face. She stepped in and shut the door behind her.

"Bitch," she muttered. "Don't even bother coming to say hello to me. I heard that you finally got a puppy."

Chelsea looked up at her and tilted her head. "What are you talking about?"

I rolled my eyes and turned back to the fire. "She's referring to me."

She looked up at me and scowled. "I don't get it..."

"He's gonna start following you around everywhere you go. Just like Bandit does. And he'll be all mopey when he has to leave and can't see you for a whole five days," Natalie said with a laugh.

Chelsea snuggled closer to me. "If anybody's the puppy, it's me. I'll end up pissing him off cuz I won't leave him alone."

I smirked. Never gonna happen. I heard Natalie clear her throat.

"_Before_ you two start sucking face, I would like a hug from Chelsea," she announced.

Chelsea rolled her eyes and got up to hug Natalie.

"Hey, give him a nice wet one for me. Julia told me he likes to bite."

I snorted silently when I heard Natalie whine. Chelsea most likely hit her.

"Oh go suck on Pierre's spoon, you loser!" Chelsea retorted.

Natalie broke out into laughter while I choked on my hot milk. I never knew my girlfriend had such a dirty mind!

"Best watch out, cowboy! She's gonna wanna suck spoon next!" Natalie said laughing.

I heard Chelsea hit her, much louder this time, and the door was shut loudly.

"Ugh, she so took that the wrong way...What a perv..." Chelsea grumbled.

As she walked around the couch to sit down, I knew I was looking at her oddly by the look she gave me.

"What?"

"Nothing, why?" I said stupidly.

"You're giving me this strange look."

"Well yeah, what you said to her kinda....surprised me a little."

She scowled and crossed her arms. "I didn't mean it like that," she growled.

I flinched and looked away from the glare that formed on her pretty face. Her glares were intense enough to make me fear for my own life sometimes. Ok, maybe not _that_ extreme. But it was pretty scary.

"If you break it down right, it doesn't sound....right..." I muttered.

She sighed irritably and sat back down on the couch, at the other side and not snuggled up next to me. I sighed and fell sideways so my head was in her lap. I hoped to hell I could get her to not be mad by my amazing cuteness.

"I'm sorry Chelsea..." I mumbled.

She flipped my hat onto the ground and started playing with my hair. She sighed again and tugged on my hair. It hurt, but she was only venting, so I let it slide. My poor hair...

"Why can't anything be taken seriously anymore? The damn kid carries around a wooden spoon! That's what I meant by 'suck on his spoon'! It's so irritating!"

"He's not really a kid, Chels. He's a year younger than I am..."

She stopped tugging on my hair. "How old are you, anyways?"

I sat up and ran my hand through my hair. "Old."

She scowled at me and grabbed my hat from the floor, playing with the rim. "I want a real answer. 'Old' doesn't answer my question."

"Sure it does."

"Ok, then tell me with a number how old you are."

I smirked at her. "I can't answer that either. My age is two numbers."

"Vaughn," she whined.

I loved it when she did that. "Ok, ok. How about...I'm older than you are, but younger than Taro."

She threw herself into my lap whining. "C'mon you cheapskate!"

I laughed and tugged the bandana out of her hair. I then ran my hand through her hair and sighed deeply.

"Does it matter?"

She nodded.

"Why?"

She shrugged. I scowled at the back of her head.

"Well I'm not gonna answer based on a shrug."

She sat up and sighed. "It'd be weird if you were thirty-six and dating me, cuz that would've made you sixteen when I was born."

I chuckled and kissed her cheek. "I'm not thirty-six, so don't worry."

"So how old are you? I'm gonna have to put it on your cake in the spring," she whined.

I looked at her surprised. "How do you know my birthday's in the spring?"

She blushed and looked away. "I'm allowed to ask questions ya know. Julia is the one you should be blaming."

I shook my head and smirked. "So why not ask her how old I am?"

She gave me her pouty face and scowled at me. Then suddenly, her expression changed completely to that of absolute sadness.

"Are you ashamed of how old you are in comparison to me?"

My gut twisted. She was just toying with me and I knew it, but it hurt hearing her accuse me of that. "N-No, I'm not ashamed. I just don't see the importance."

She looked away and sighed deeply.

"I'm twenty-six."

She turned back to me with a grin on her face. See? She was just toying with me. She wrapped her arms around my neck and leaned in to my ear.

"Now was that so hard?" she asked in a very sexy tone.

I swallowed and shook my head. She giggled quietly and kissed my cheek. She then jumped up off the couch, grabbing my hand.

"C'mon, let's go check on the animals!"

She bundled up and bounded out the door into the cold with Bandit on her heels. I shut the door behind me and smiled as I watched her run to the chicken coop. She loved animals as much as I did, but was much bubblier. How did a guy like me get around to having a girl like her? She was my polar opposite almost.....Huh, I guess opposites do attract. With a smile, I headed across the snow after her.

* * *

**Read and Review as always :)**


	18. Chapter 18

**We are down to the final chapters folks. But don't forget: there is a surprise at the end, so bear with me. I am gonna upload the last two chapters at the same time, so it may be a little while until my next update. I'm happy to have had your attention for this long, and I hope you liked my story :)**

**Harvest Moon (c) Natsume  
**

* * *

**Chapter 18**

Thursday night came fast. It was a rather sad goodbye for both of us. It would be the first time in a while we were going to be apart. I felt a lump form in my throat as I turned to the boat. I sighed deeply and turned back to Chelsea.

"I'll be back soon, I promise," I said as I cupped her chin, wiping a tear with my thumb as it rolled down her cheek.

She nodded. "I'll wait for you."

I chuckled. "You'll freeze if you wait for me."

She smiled and hit me lightly on the arm. "You know what I mean..."

I pressed my forehead against hers. "I'll see you soon, Chelsea."

She nodded and closed her eyes. I kissed her gently and let go of her. I turned and walked down the dock to my best ability. Ever part of my being was saying to stay by Chelsea and not get on the boat, but I knew I had to go. I got onto the boat and turned back to her. She was crying, but she was waving at me with a small smile on her face. I smiled back and waved until she was just a small speck on the horizon. With a sigh, I headed to my room and fell onto my bed.

* * *

"Dude, this lovesick thing is getting to be annoying," Damian said irritably from the couch.

I glared at him and he winced, looking away. Justin mumbled something and left the room while Travis simply shook his head from the lazy-boy.

"Damian's right, Vaughn. You'll leave tomorrow night, so what's with all the pacing?"

I clenched my fists and teeth and turned to him irritably. "She's on that island without me! Who knows what she's up to?!?"

Travis stood up and put his hand on my shoulder. "Relax, man. You know that Chelsea isn't that kind of girl."

I sighed and nodded. "Yeah, I know. But damn, I'm worried."

Damian snorted. "What, you think some other dude is gonna ask her and cuz she doesn't know you're gonna show, she's gonna say yes to him?"

I glared at him and lifted my foot, beginning to take off my boot. He jumped up and held his arms out defensively.

"Come on man! The last time you shoved your boot in my face, I almost fainted! Come on, you can't be serious!"

He slowly backed away from him as I started forward. The little coward ran for the front door and was gone in a flash. I tossed my boot towards the door just as it closed and slumped onto the couch with a deep sigh.

"Don't listen to him, Vaughn. Chelsea isn't that kind of girl. You said so yourself; she's just gonna sit at home with her dog, right?"

I looked up at Travis. "She told me that, but Damian's right. She doesn't know I'm gonna show up. For all I know, she might invite that prick over or someone else..."

Travis chuckled and walked away. "Dude, you think too much. Just take a chill pill."

I sighed and laid down on the couch, hoping that sleep would be easy for me.

* * *

My heart was pounding in my ears, throat, chest...well everywhere. My mouth was dry and I had a lump in my throat. The island came into view, though it was hard to see in the dark, and my heart leapt. It was the night of the festival, ten o'clock sharp when we hit land. The shack on the beach was dark, so I assumed Denny was with Lanna. Rather, I _hoped_ he was with Lanna. If he was with Chelsea, his ass was gonna meet my foot, and it wouldn't be a pleasant meeting.

I trudged through the dusting of snow as quietly as possible, tucking the present for Chelsea in my pocket and shifting my bag on my back. I wanted to surprise Chelsea, though I was rather afraid of what I might find at her house. So, before I made my way to her house, I decided to sneak to one of the windows and take a peek inside. That way, I wouldn't open it if she was with another person (guy or otherwise) and I'd be at ease. I took a deep breath when I got to her house and snuck over to the window by her bed. Peeking in, I saw a fire in the fireplace and Chelsea sitting on the couch with a book and a mug of some sort. I smirked to myself as I made my way to the front door. I patted my pocket to double-check that the gift was still there and I stopped at the front door. I rapped on it with my knuckle and I waited.

"Did El say no, Jules? Well, you can always join me and my loneliness!" Chelsea said from inside as she opened the door.

Her eyes went from normal to wide to watery in a matter of seconds. She covered her mouth with one hand and I couldn't suppress the smirk that made its way to my lips.

"V-Vaughn?"

"Surprised?"

She ran forward and threw her arms around my neck, crying into my shoulder. I chuckled and hugged her back, placing my hand behind her head and pulling her closer.

She pulled away from me and hit me on the shoulder lightly. "You ass! Why did you make me think you weren't coming back?"

I chuckled again. "And missed seeing your surprised face and pajamas? You crazy?"

She blushed deep red and stepped back inside. I followed her and shut the door behind me, placing my bag by the couch. Bandit barked at me and jumped down from the couch, jumping up to my hands and licking them. I chuckled again and bent down to pick him up. Chelsea took him from me and placed a small box in my hands. I looked up at her surprised and she was looking down, but I could see her bright red ears.

"I-I wanted to get you something e-even if you weren't gonna be here....So open it."

I blushed and took the cover off of the box. Inside, was a rather unique looking necklace. The cord itself was made out of leather and it had a black arrowhead as a pendant. On it were white carvings that made it look...special.

"I had a favor with a friend in Mineral Town and I had it made. The arrowhead is made of obsidian...I-If you don't want to wear it, you don't have to, cuz you always wear your bandana and all..."

I took the necklace out of the box and placed said box onto the back of the couch. I put the necklace in my mouth and reached behind my head to untie my bandana. I then let the thing fall to the ground and I unclasped the necklace, putting it around my neck and re-clasping it. I adjusted it so that the arrowhead was in the middle of my chest and looked up at Chelsea.

She blushed and looked down, so I tilted her head back up with my finger. "It's perfect," I muttered, catching her mouth in a quick kiss.

We broke away and she went into the kitchen, obviously not expecting anything from me, and jumped onto the counter. "Would you like some hot milk? Cuz of you, I've taken a liking to it. Oh, and I have some veggie stew left over from supper. And don't worry; there are no carrots in it to poison you. I made some for me, but I made them separately."

I smirked. "Why would you have made them separately if you didn't know I was coming?"

She got off of the counter and shrugged as she poured the milk into a mug. "I dunno. Maybe you'd have wanted some if I didn't eat it all by Wednesday. No need to contaminate a good stew."

I chuckled and sat down on the couch. "I'll take some, sure."

I heard her giggled quietly and she made noise in the kitchen, getting a bowl and ladling the stew into the bowl I assumed. She walked back over, shuffling her feet on the floor due to her slippers, and placed the bowl on the coffee table in front of me. She then handed me the mug and grabbed Bandit as he jumped onto the couch.

"What have I told you, Mister? You are not allowed to beg for food just cuz you don't like your own," she said as she put him on her bed.

He grumbled and she giggled, making a 'muah' noise as she kissed him on the head. She then shuffled back over to me and sat down on the couch. I ate the stew slowly to savor the taste of her cooking. She went back to reading her book, giving me space to eat my food without watching me. I smirked and took a spoonful and pushed it against her mouth.

"What are you doing?" she squealed.

"Sharing."

She giggled, but opened her mouth. I put the spoon in and she closed her mouth, clamping her teeth down onto the spoon. I tried pulling it out of her mouth, but she didn't let go. She smirked and giggled.

"Leggo of the spoon," I said with a small smile on my lips.

She shook her head. "No."

I chuckled and kissed the corner of her mouth. She squealed and released her grip on the spoon, so I took it back.

"See if I ever share with you again," I said trying not to smile.

She leaned over and put her head on my shoulder, breathing in my ear as she did. "Oh you and I both know you will."

I blushed and ate two more spoonfuls before she giggled, kissed my cheek and retreated to her reading again. I finished and leaned back, sighing. I stretched my arm out, covering her book purposely. She giggled and put the book down, snuggling up against me.

"I'm so glad you showed up," she said, sighing as she placed her head on my shoulder.

I placed my head on hers and smiled. "Yeah, I'm glad I came too."

She giggled and grabbed the blanket she was under, placing over me as well. I felt heat radiating from the top of her head, so I figured she was blushing. I tilted my head to try to look down at her.

"What?" I asked.

"Are you spending the night? Here I mean?"

I blushed as well. "I have before, haven't I?"

"W-Well yeah, but I mean..." she said, trailing off.

I picked up on what she was hinting and I took her hand. "I can sleep on the couch if you'd rather. But just so you know, I'm not that kind of guy."

She chuckled almost guiltily. "Well, I know you're not. But I didn't want you thinking that...I dunno..."

I chuckled and grabbed her chin in my hand, pulling her into a gentle kiss. She twisted slightly and placed her hand on my chest. I pulled back just enough to talk.

"It isn't about what we do in the bed, it's about who's next to you."

She blushed deep red and I pressed my lips back to hers. I didn't mean it in a perverted way at all and I hoped she could figure it out. She pulled away and nuzzled into my neck.

"I don't mind sharing my bed with you Vaughn," she said.

I could tell she was embarrassed about it, so I tried my hardest not to laugh at her cuteness. Instead, I mustered up some courage and reached into my pocket.

"Here," I muttered.

She backed up and looked at my hand. Her eyes went wide and she looked up at me curiously.

"Y-You got me something?"

"You sound surprised," I said, chuckling slightly.

"You being here is good enough for me, Vaughn," she said, blushing slightly.

"Take it; I know you'll like it."

She took the little box from my hand and opened it. Her face lit up and her jaw dropped slightly. She pulled out the necklace I had gotten her. It was a silver locket on a silver chain. The silver locket had a carving of a crown atop a heart. I took it from her and clasped it around her neck. She touched the locket delicately and looked up at me, her eyes brimming with tears.

"It's beautiful," she whispered.

I smiled and pressed my forehead against hers. "It wasn't beautiful 'til it was on you."

She threw her arms around me and kissed me so eagerly, I fell over. I put my hands on her waist and felt her take my hat off, hands roaming my hair. I slipped the bandana off of her head and followed suit. Bandit was whining next to us before long and we broke apart. She giggled and looked over at the little dog.

"You're gonna have to sleep with Tornado tonight, Bandit. Vaughn's gonna take your spot."

The dog, as if he understood what she said, seemingly glared at me and walked away grumbling. Chelsea got up and opened the door, closing it behind her as she took Bandit to the stable. I got up and put my dishes in the sink, washing them quickly. Before I knew it, Chelsea was back and her arms were around me from behind, on my chest. She sighed and nuzzled my back.

"You best get into PJs. I have to get to bed now."

I smirked. "Alright. I'll be right back."

I kissed her quick and slipped into the bathroom, grabbing my bag ahead of time. I quickly brushed my teeth and took off my jacket, vest, gloves and boots. I unbuttoned a few of the buttons on my shirt and walked out. Chelsea was laying in the bed facing the wall.

"Are you decent?" she asked, sounding amused.

I chuckled and tossed my bag to the couch. I didn't bother answering her as I undid my belt, stepping out of my pants in the process. I undid my shirt buttons as I walked over to the bed.

"What, don't wanna watch a little strip-tease?" I asked teasingly.

She groaned, but didn't move. I chuckled and tossed my shirt to the couch, sliding into the bed behind her. She squeaked when my foot touched hers, though her foot was much colder than mine was. I turned to my back and pulled her closer, sighing deeply as I got comfortable. She shifted slightly so that her head was on my shoulder and her right hand was on my chest. Her hand was cold and I shuddered at the touch of her soft hand. She moved it just a little, her touch feathery, and I shuddered again.

"You're doing that on purpose, aren't you?" I asked teasingly again.

She leaned close to my ear and I heard her smirk. "Maybe," she said, giving my ear a flick of her tongue.

I groaned and turned to her, kissing her insistently. I grabbed the back of her head before she could react and I pulled her as close to me as I could. She tilted her head to the right, so I tilted mine left. She opened her mouth and pressed her tongue against my lips. I growled and pressed harder. She chuckled slightly and withdrew her tongue. No way was my girlfriend gonna be the one making the first moves. Especially when I haven't taught her how to do that stuff yet. She traced her finger along my jaw and I tried not to groan. I had to pull away from her slightly to catch my breath. She chuckled again.

"Whatsa matter, cowboy? You sound out of breath," she said seductively.

I pushed her sideways and I followed her, hovering over her slightly. "You are such a cheater," I growled, pressing my lips to hers again.

She smiled into the kiss and tried to press harder, but I pulled away slightly.

"But just cuz you're a cheater doesn't mean I don't like kissing you," I said smirking.

"Shut up and kiss me, you loser."

I chuckled and went back to kissing her. I flicked my tongue against her lips, but she didn't open her mouth. I scowled and tried again. Still nothing. So I slowly slid my hand up her side from her hip to just below her ribcage. She gasped, opening her mouth and I snuck my tongue in expertly. She flicked my tongue with hers a few times before giggling and pulling away from me.

She brushed the hair out of my eyes and smiled up at me.

"I need to get some sleep, cowboy."

I smiled back down. "Yeah, yeah, I know..."

We went back to our original position and both sighed deeply. It was quiet for a moment, besides the fire crackling as it slowly died.

"I love you Vaughn," she whispered, kissing my chest gently.

I froze slightly but took a deep breath.

"Same here, Chels..." I muttered quietly.

She smiled and nuzzled my chest. I placed my head on hers as sleep started taking me. I hugged her tight and sighed deeply. Everything was the way it was supposed to be.

* * *

**Read and Review, my beloved readers :)**


	19. Chapter 19

**Ok, so this is the second-to-last chapter, my dear readers. The reason for my lack of updating was two things. One, I'm back in college, so I don't have much time to write my little stories. And two, I was having writer's block like crazy. BUT kirara2256 updated her story (called A Chance Encounter) and I was suddenly inspired to finish the story. So thank her as much as you can. THANK YOU!!!!!**

**Harvest Moon (c) Natsume  
**

* * *

**Chapter 19**

Before long, spring had settled to the island and Chelsea was swamped with just as much work as I was. She was riding Tornado from one end of the island to the other. I figured the poor gelding would be exhausted, but he seemed to enjoy stretching his legs out. I knew for a fact that Chelsea refused to let him out during the winter, due to the cold air.

My birthday was one thing I was glad to be missing on the island. The guys threw me a lame party like they always do, but complained the whole time because I wouldn't allow them to call for strippers. What perverts....

"Vaughn!"

I looked up from my thoughts and smiled as Chelsea ran to me, arms wide open. I dropped my back and hugged her as she slammed herself into me.

"Geez, knock me over why don't you?" I said, grunting from impact.

She giggled and looked up at me with a devious grin on her face. "Ok!"

As she tried to push me; groaning and grunting with effort; I merely raised an eyebrow and watched her try. After a few more attempts, she sighed deeply and laid her head on my shoulder.

"As punishment for making me try to push you, you have to carry me home," she said, sounding slightly out of breath.

I chuckled and grabbed my bag with one hand. I then knelt down slightly, grabbed her knees in my other arm and hoisted her over my shoulder.

"VAUGHN!" she yelled.

I chuckled and started towards her house. She banged her fists on my shoulder blades lightly, laughing as we got to her house. I put her down on the doorstep and bowed dramatically.

"Would you also like me to open the door for you, Master?" I asked playfully.

She scowled, put her hands on her hips and glared at me. "Does the door look like it's gonna open all on its own?"

I glanced at her quickly and saw that she had broken into a wide grin. I smirked and opened the door. She giggled and danced into her house, picking Bandit up off the back of the couch and hugging him as I walked in after her.

"So, how was your birthday on the mainland?" she asked.

I glanced at her and saw her smiling at me. "It was alright. Never been a fan of birthdays, though."

"Hm...That's too bad..."

I raised an eyebrow at her. "What are you planning?"

She looked up at me innocently. "I'm not! I was just wondering how your birthday was."

"Why is it too bad that I don't like them?"

She shrugged and put Bandit on the ground. "No reason; it's just too bad. I love birthdays, but you don't. Kinda like opposites attracting, huh?"

I blushed slightly and she giggled, hugging me tightly.

"I hate it when you leave," she whispered, nuzzling into my chest.

I ran my hand through her hair after taking off her bandana and sighed. "Work is work though. I can't just abandon it."

"Yeah I know....But maybe someday, you'll never have to leave the island..."

I blushed a little more, thinking about that. It'd be nice, never leaving Chelsea alone on the island. That would mean that we were either married or living together. My mind wandered a little, but her giggling brought me out of my thoughts.

"C'mon, let's go see Mirabelle. I've been waiting for you and I kinda need chicken feed," she said, pulling on my arm.

I eyed her suspiciously as we walked down to the barn holding hands, but I shook off the feeling and took her excuse as a valid one. When we walked into the barn, however, all the lights were off.

"Chelsea..." I said warningly.

She giggled and the lights were turned on. Mirabelle, Julia and Chelsea all had smiles on their faces.

"SURPRISE!" they all shouted.

Chelsea giggled some more and kissed my cheek, apologizing quietly in my ear. I smiled slightly and shook my head, giving in to my family and their strangeness.

* * *

We had a little party, cake made by Mirabelle, presents from all three, and even torturous singing when I had to blow out the candles.

"What'd ya wish for, Vaughny?" Julia asked, leaning on my shoulder.

I grunted slightly from her added weight. "None of your business."

Chelsea giggled and put her head on my shoulder. "Don't tell her. If you do, it won't come true."

I blushed slightly and tried to hide my face behind my hat. Julia flipped it off my head and laughed as she grabbed it off the ground.

"Ooh, Vaughny's got a secret!"

I glared at her and reached for my hat. "Shut up, Julia. Gimme my hat back."

She held it above her head; which was too high for me to reach when I was sitting; and giggled. Chelsea jumped up onto her chair and grabbed the hat from her, placing it on her own head and sitting down next to me. I wrapped my arm around Chelsea's shoulders and smirked at Julia. She crossed her arms and scowled at us.

"You have a devious little girlfriend, Vaughn..."

I laughed as she stormed off, faking an angry fit. Chelsea put my hat back on my head and stood up.

"I gotta get back to the ranch. I've got weeds to destroy," she said, kissing my cheek lightly. "Come by when you're done here, ok?"

I smirked at her as she walked towards the door backwards. "I promise."

She smiled and left, saying goodbye to Mirabelle and Julia before closing the door. I sighed and smiled to myself. Devious or not, she was the best thing to ever happen to me.

"So when you gonna pop the question?"

I jumped and looked up wide-eyed. Julia was looking at me with a devilish grin on her face.

"What're you talking about?" I asked, glaring at her harshly.

"Vaughn, momma and I know you're gonna ask her to marry you. We just wanna know when."

I sighed and leaned back in the chair. Was it that obvious...? Mirabelle walked over and put her hand on my shoulders.

"Make sure you tell her before you propose..."

I looked up at her confused. "Tell her...? Tell her what?"

She gave me this look that I couldn't describe. It was as if she was telling me what to tell her with her eyes, but not exactly.

"Mirabelle...?"

She sighed and turned away from me. "I thought we had discussed this back in fall, Vaughn..."

My stomach twisted and I looked away. "I can't tell her that...."

I felt a hand on my shoulder and I looked back at Mirabelle. She had tears in her eyes, but she was smiling down at me.

"She needs to know, Vaughn. She won't think any different of you; you know it deep down."

I sighed again and stood up, tossing her hand off of my shoulder. I walked to the counter and put my hands on it, clenching them tightly.

"What if she hates me for it? What if....What if she leaves me...?"

"Vaughn..." Julia began.

I heard the clinking of her boots and I felt her arms wrap around me.

"Chelsea isn't that type of person. She never shuts up about you when you leave. It's almost as bad as you were when she didn't talk to you last year. She...She knows you're hiding something, Vaughn..."

I turned around and she let go, backing up a few steps. She kept her head down.

"She wants to know what happened and she came asking us last week. Momma and I didn't say a word, just told her to ask you. And then she spilled that she's too scared to ask, but she wants to know so she can be closer to you. It's kinda cute, but in a sad way."

I sighed and adjusted my hat, looking to the door. Mirabelle put her hand on my shoulder and smiled at me.

"Go on. Just come back and let us know what her reaction was..."

I smiled to them both and nodded, walking out. This was gonna be hard for me and they both knew it...

* * *

I headed up to the ranch with a knot in my stomach and a dry throat. I had never told anybody about my past; not ever. I had no clue how to start a conversation like this, let alone how to react if it went bad. I sighed deeply and stepped onto the property.

Chelsea was in the field pulling out weeds, just as she had said she had to do. I smiled weakly, but remembered my intention and stepped forward, nervousness hitting me again.

"Chels...I need to talk to you..."

Her head snapped up and she immediately looked scared. I smiled slightly and shook my head.

"It's nothing bad; I promise. It's....Well, it's personal..."

She smiled warmly and nodded, walking up to me and grabbing my hand. She took me to the house and opened the door, leading me to the couch. She sat down and looked up at me.

"Sit if you'd like....What's on your mind?"

I smiled weakly again and sighed before sitting down. "I wanted to talk about...My past."

I glanced at her, but she didn't say anything. Her smile faded slightly and the look on her face was content and listening. I took a deep breath, closed my eyes and began.

"Mirabelle is my mother's older sister, though she's more like a mother to me than my mother ever was. I never knew either of my parents: my mom died when I was a kid and my father....well, I don't know who he is. He was a guy my mom had been seeing for a while."

"So you're parents weren't married?" she asked, sounding as if she were trying to piece it all together.

I flinched when she put her hand on my leg. "N-No, that's not it....My mom was married to another guy when she was seeing my father..."

She moved her hand. "Oh..."

I looked away, not trusting myself to look at her. "My family hates me because of it; like it's my fault I was born to such a whore...Anyway, Julia and Mirabelle are the only two in my family who accept me for who I am and who don't hate me when I'm an ass."

It was quiet for a while. I hadn't told her every last detail of my life, but who would want to hear that? Such a boring story. I heard her sigh deeply.

"I'm so sorry Vaughn..."

I glanced at her and her head was bent down and tears were falling from her eyes. She was...crying? For me? Why?

"Chels...Why are you crying?"

She looked up at me with tears pouring down her cheeks. "I shouldn't have told Julia I wanted to hear your past...It must've been hard for you to decide to tell me...God, I'm so selfish!"

She turned away and put her head in her hands. I slid over to her and pulled her into a hug, placing my chin on her head.

"Chels, I told you because I wanted to. I'd been meaning to tell you, I just couldn't find the best time to talk....I thought...."

Her crying had calmed down a bit and she was merely hiccupping. "You thought that...I might...not love you...anymore?" she asked.

I flinched. "Can you blame me...?"

She shook her head. "No, I really can't...But I don't hate you. You can't decide...who your parents are...Stuff like that just kinda, happens..."

I nodded and kissed the top of her head. A huge weight had been lifted off of my shoulders, but I felt bad placing it on hers. She shuddered slightly.

"My turn, I guess..."

I let go of her and looked at her shocked. "You have a bad past too?"

She smiled. "Not bad, per say. Just, different...."

She looked away slightly and sighed before turning to me. "My parents died when I was seventeen as you know. Well, when I was twelve, they told me that they had arranged a marriage for me: to Alex."

I felt a growl escape my lips just at the mention of his name and Chelsea giggled.

"Yeah, I know exactly what you mean," she said. "Now, he's adopted, so he's not my cousin. But when we were fourteen, he told me he was gay and had already found a lover. Kinda sick if you ask me, but don't ask and I won't tell."

"W-Wait, lover as in...?"

She nodded. "Yeah, as in sleeping together on a regular basis. At fourteen...So sick. I didn't care that he was gay; as long as he didn't have girl friends who hit on me, I was fine with it. He also knew better than to flirt with guys he knew I liked."

I scoffed. "Yeah, he really held back with me..."

She put her hand on mine and intertwined our fingers. "He was trying to get me to accept my feelings for you; though I had a long time ago. I know you're not the type to jump into something based on a gut feeling. I gave you all the time you needed, that's all.

"Anyway, when my parents found out that Alex was gay, they set up a new marriage. I got on the boat because of it, but I think that he's coming to get me...His name is Will and he knows I'm here."

She grabbed a letter from the coffee table and handed it to me. Inside was a letter addressed to her. I read it quickly, growing more and more irritated with each word.

"He's arriving at the beginning of summer?" I hissed.

She nodded. "He's a snobby rich kid, so I'm gonna need you to beat the living pulp outta him. He won't listen to me at all."

I smirked darkly. "He'll never know what hit him."

* * *

**Ok, so I pre-ordered Sunshine Islands (the next HM coming out) and I saw a picture of Will and HAD to put him in here.**

**Read and Review =)  
**


	20. Chapter 20

**Last chapter folks =( But hey, I still have to tell you about that surprise, right? Don't worry, I didn't forget, just read the chapter and you'll see. Anyway, I had to jump ahead a bit cuz I only had this chapter left. I hope you guys enjoyed my story and thank you so much for all the reviews and popularity =)**

**Harvest Moon STILL (c) Natsume (If it belonged to me, well....we won't get into that XD)  
**

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**Chapter 20**

Summer arrived on the island and both Chelsea and I were growing more and more anxious every day that went by. This Will guy, when would he get here?

"Have you met him before?" Julia asked, snapping me out of my thoughts.

We were in the shop talking to Julia, as we did ever since we found out about Will. I refused to leave the island, making sure to contact Jake and the guys and tell them the situation. They completely understood and Jake let me have a few weeks off until everything was settled.

Chelsea nodded. "Yeah. He was at my parent's funeral. He's just a snobby rich guy. He'll probably show up on his yacht."

Julia's jaw dropped. "He has a _yacht_? And you don't want to marry him, _why_?"

I glared at her and she flinched slightly. Chelsea sighed deeply.

"First off, I'm a little young for marriage. Second off, I don't want to marry someone who is rich or snobby. Third off, I have Vaughn and I don't want anything else."

I looked at her and she beamed up at me, tugging at my heart.

"Aww, that's so cute," Julia cooed.

I glared at her again and she flinched again. A boat's horn sounded and I looked at Chelsea. She was looking back wide-eyed. We both stood up and headed out; she clung to my arm as we walked to the beach.

Just off shore was a big white yacht with gold letters on the side that said "Golden Arrow". If that wasn't a stupid name for a boat, I didn't know what was. A blonde guy was standing on the deck with a martini in his hand. He had a cocky smirk on his face and his other hand was holding a rose. He looked at it, smelled it and smiled down at Chelsea.

"Princess," he said, holding out the rose to her.

She clenched onto my sleeve and didn't move. He scowled and started down the loading plank to the dock. Instinctively, I got in front of Chelsea and blocked this guy from her view. He paused, smirked and started walking again.

"Chelsea, Chelsea, Chelsea," he tutted as he shook his head. He kept walking towards us. "Our parents made an agreement and here you are, living on a ruddy island, clinging to a dirty cowboy, and looking at me with such beautiful, terrified eyes."

He stepped around me, but I grabbed his arm. He looked up at me and smirked.

"Temper, temper, cowboy. Let go of me before I call my bodyguard," he said roughly.

I gritted my teeth and tossed him away from Chelsea, getting between them again. "Leave her alone," I growled.

Chelsea stepped around me, looking very brave. "You need to leave Will. My parents are dead, so I don't give a damn about that arranged marriage anymore."

Will's expression went from cocky to angry in a flash. He stepped forward, she stepped back and I got between them, all in the same fluid motion. I grabbed Will's arm and shoved him back again.

"You can't back out of an arranged marriage, Chelsea! We have it in writing that you _are_ to marry me! I will not leave here without you!" he yelled.

"You best change your mind, pal," I growled. "Chelsea can't leave this island without it falling apart as you set sail."

"Sounds like _you_ just don't want her to leave, cowboy," he growled back.

"I _never_ want her to leave. If she ever left, I'd fall apart with the island."

"How romantic. Have you told _her_ that?" he said flatly.

"She already knows that she's my world."

"Oh yeah? Prove that she's your world, cowboy."

I glared at him. "What's that supposed to mean?"

He shrugged and smirked. "That depends on who's asking."

I gritted my teeth and glared darker. "Why should I prove to _you_ that she means the world to me? I know it, she knows it, and my family knows it. Who else matters?"

He smirked and chuckled a little. "Well, if you don't prove it to me, I'm afraid I have to take her back to the mainland with me. She _is_ my fiancée after all."

He had backed me into a corner, figuratively speaking. I had to prove to him Chelsea meant the world to me somehow or I'd lose her forever. There was no way I was going to lose Chelsea. Not when it took me so long to get her to be mine in the first place.

I gritted my teeth and searched his eyes for the answer. Then I saw it: a flicker in his blue eyes. He didn't want her, not really anyway. Sure he could love her eventually, but he didn't really want to force her to leave. It was all in that little flicker in his eye. He was trying to get me to do something...But what?

I saw movement from below. I glanced down and saw a blue feather in his hand. I glanced back up and the look in his eye said it all. I snatched it from him and turned to Chelsea.

"Chelsea, will you marry me?" I asked, handing her the feather.

At first, she looked at me confused, but then she held the feather and tears formed in her eyes.

"V-Vaughn....."

I held my breath. I wanted this; Chelsea, mine, forever. Yes, this was what I wanted. I just prayed to the Harvest Goddess that she wanted it too.

She looked up at me as tears rolled down her cheeks. "Yes!" she squealed, throwing herself at me.

I caught her and hugged her tightly. She pulled away from the hug, grabbed my face in her hands and kissed me gently. I kissed her back eagerly and spun her around slightly. My heart was pounding for the first time since I had asked Chelsea to be my girlfriend, but I knew that I'd get used to it. I pulled away from her and placed our foreheads together.

"I know you said you're too young...." I said.

"Vaughn, I can make an exception for you," she said smiling brightly.

I smiled back and kissed her gently. I released her and we started back to the shop, but Will put his hand on my shoulder. Chelsea turned and looked back concerned.

"I'll be right behind you, just don't tell anybody without me," I said, smiling at her encouragingly.

She nodded and put the feather in her pocket. She then headed up to town. I turned to Will and crossed my arms.

"Explain," I said.

He chuckled and looked up at the sky. "It's really beautiful here. Why would I want to take Chelsea away from such a wonderful place? Besides, my mother is the one who wanted her back on the mainland. Father was rather pleased that her parents died and I was no longer stuck in the marriage. He has a few other candidates that he wishes me to marry.

"In short, I guess I wish I could pick my own wife-to-be and not have her chosen for me," he concluded, looking at me and smiling.

I scowled at him, but held out my hand for him to shake. He looked down at it, smiled and shook my hand.

"So that whole ordeal was just an act?" I asked.

"Yes and no. I was hoping Chelsea would have met someone who could take care of her. You're what, twenty-four?"

"Twenty-seven," I corrected.

He held out his hands defensively. "A little old, if you ask me, but that just means you'll protect her with your life."

I nodded and looked to where she retreated. "So why get me to propose?"

He chuckled. "I could see in your eyes that you wanted to, just couldn't think of the right time. What better time to ask than when her ex-fiancé is trying to take her away?"

I rolled my eyes and smirked. "You have a devious mind."

"I learned from Chelsea how to think like this. She lived in my family home after her parents died and just before she came here. She could think her way out of any situation I put her in."

I smiled. "That's my Chelsea alright..."

He chuckled again and put his hand on my shoulder, causing me to turn to him. "It's nice to see a guy who's possessive of his fiancé. It makes me proud to know I helped him get the balls to ask her to marry him."

He smirked and I frowned at him. He backed up just as I swung at him playfully. He made his way up the dock to his boat.

"Well cowboy, I guess I'll be seeing you!" he called as he boarded the boat.

"You'd better not!" I called back.

He gave me a puppy-dog face very similar to Chelsea's. "Aw man, I can't come to the wedding?"

I shook my head and chuckled. "Only if I can beat your face in!"

He pouted, but grinned widely as the horn blew. "It's a deal, cowboy!"

"My name is Vaughn!" I called back scowling.

"Vaughn and Chelsea, huh? Well, see you later, Vaughn!" he called, waving madly.

I waved back, not as madly as he was, and smiled. Will wasn't such a bad guy after all. He gave me the most precious thing in life: Chelsea.

* * *

"Oh my God!" Julia squealed, throwing her arms around my neck.

My face lit up bright red as Chelsea giggled. Mirabelle walked up and hugged Chelsea tight.

"It's so good to hear that, you two. Chelsea will make a perfect addition to our family," Mirabelle said as she let go of Chelsea.

"No matter how messed up we are," Julia piped in.

I elbowed her in the stomach and she let go groaning. I smirked and wrapped my arm around Chelsea.

"Sorry Jules, my elbow twitched and hit you on its own."

Julia glared up at me and Chelsea punched my shoulder while laughing. Mirabelle rolled her eyes and smiled and even Julia giggled.

"So when is the ceremony?" Mirabelle asked.

I looked at Chelsea and she looked back with a shrug.

"A week," I said, turning back to Mirabelle.

Mirabelle nodded. "Yes, that's the tradition around here, ain't it? A week? Hm...Well, don't forget to inform everyone and invite them all."

Mirabelle hugged us both one last time before pushing us towards the door.

"Now get home you two. I'm sure you have plenty of planning to do."

I looked down at Chelsea blushing and she giggled. I rolled my eyes and grabbed her hand, leading her to the ranch. Once we got there, and she stopped giggling, I picked her up bridal style and stood in front of the door.

"In a week, I'm gonna carry you over this wooden board and we'll be officially married," I said, kissing her on the forehead.

"Huh, well I think your arms are gonna get sore if you have to wait a whole week."

I scowled at her, but she leaned up and kissed my nose. I smiled and kissed her gently.

* * *

The end of a wanderer's life and the beginning of a new life. This is how it all began.

**THE END**

* * *

**Well there you go guys. I hope you enjoyed the story. And the surprise? I have a little bonus chapter I want to add to the end. Without giving too much away, it's gonna be five years in the future of their life. =) So tune in and I'll get it up at some point. I'm so glad you guys read and liked this story. I'll try to come up with more good ones, just gimme a holler on some couples to write about (I'll even do a Vaughn/Sabrina one for you fans out there). Hope you liked it =)**


	21. Finale

**Here it is as promised. I just had the inspiration somehow and wrote it. I hope you like it: The Finale to my story :)**

**Harvest Moon (c) Natsume  
**

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**Final Chapter - Five Years Later**

Five wonderful years went by on that little ranch. The wedding was short, but memorable due to the Harvest Goddess. Chelsea told me that she appeared at the wedding and rang that big bell next to the church. Everyone was surprised to hear the bell. It's sort of suspicious that Chelsea was the only one who saw the Goddess, but I'm not gonna be the one to investigate.

I looked up at the midday sun and wiped my forehead. I was out in the fields on the ranch doing all the hard work while Chelsea was in the barn. She always got to do all the fun work these days. As if on some cue; she was good at that; Chelsea opened the barn door.

"Go get him!" she said loudly.

I turned and smiled as a little boy of four-years came rushing up to me. He slammed into my leg with an 'oof' and fell back. I instantly reached down and caught him, dropping the sickle that was in my hands. I lifted him up over my head and he giggled.

"Airplane, daddy. Airplane!" he shouted.

I laughed and put him back on the ground. "Daddy's a little sweaty right now, Luke. How about we do airplane after lunch?"

He giggled and smiled up at me. "Ok!"

I smiled and stood back up. My son. He had my hair; the hair of the SOB that I called my father; and Chelsea's bright eyes and personality. Chelsea walked up to the two of us carrying my daughter. She was the complete opposite of her twin brother; Chelsea's hair, my eyes and personality.

"Daddy, is Lily ok?" Luke asked me, tugging on my pant leg.

I smiled, ruffled his hair and picked him up. Chelsea laughed as Lily held out her hand to Luke. The pair held hands.

"Of course Lily is ok, Luke. She's just shy like daddy," Chelsea said, glancing up at me.

Lily tugged on Chelsea's hair. "I'm hungry mommy."

"Me too," Luke whined, looking up at me. "Is it time for lunch now, daddy?"

I looked at Chelsea who nodded, walking back to the house. I looked back down at Luke who was looking up at me.

"It's lunchtime sport," I said, lifting him to my shoulders.

He squealed in delight and put his small hands on my head. I knelt down and grabbed the sickle that I dropped and carried it over to the house.

"Watch your head, Luke," I said warningly as I opened the door.

He giggled and leaned forward. I ducked down and walked inside, quickly setting him down on the ground. I then straightened up and stretched.

"Daddy? Are we gonna visit Auntie Julie today?" Lily asked me as Chelsea put her in a booster seat at the table.

Luke had already started eating, but paused to look at me. They both had curious looks and hopeful expressions. I smiled.

"If mommy wants to, we can," I said, walking over to Chelsea and kissing her cheek. "I'm gonna shower."

She giggled and kissed my cheek. "Be quick."

"EWWWW!" the twins squealed.

We both laughed and I retreated to the bathroom.

* * *

The four of us; me carrying Luke, Chelsea carrying Lily; made our way down to the Barn to visit Mirabelle and Julia. Elliot and Jules had gotten married the winter after Chels and I did. The following summer, they announced Julia's pregnancy. She eventually had a baby girl, whom the named Kelly.

It was rather humorous to me: Chelsea and I were the only married couple on the island who had twins, let alone a boy. Lanna and Denny had a little girl named Ross, and Pierre and Natalie had a girl named Jean. Sabrina had moved back to the mainland to live with her mother after Chelsea and I had gotten hitched. She couldn't take the heartbreak I guess.

"Auntie Julie!" Luke cried, breaking me out of my thoughts.

He squirmed in my grip until I put him down. He ran up to Julia and hugged her knees, making her giggle. Kelly was in her hands holding a teddy bear. Chelsea giggled and put Lily down. Lily; unlike Luke; stayed by Chelsea's side, clinging to her leg.

"Vaughn," Mirabelle said.

I looked over and she had her arms open wide. With a sigh, I stepped into her hug; had to set a good example for the kids. Chelsea giggled to herself and walked over, giving Mirabelle a hug after I did. Mirabelle picked Lily up and tapped her nose.

"How 'bout Gramma makes some cookies for you kids?"

Lily smiled and nodded. "I get to help, right Gramma?"

Luke and Kelly bounded over to Mirabelle. "We get to help too, right Gramma?"

"Of course, of course. Why don't the mommy's and daddy's go take a walk somewhere? We'll make some cookies for when they get back," Mirabelle said, glancing at Chelsea and I.

I glanced over at Julia, but found that she had already retreated out the door. Before I knew it, I was being pushed towards the door, though I wasn't moving.

"Go on, daddy! Go take mommy somewhere special and come back later!" Luke insisted.

Chelsea giggled and grabbed my hand. "I'll bring him back later. You two behave for Gramma."

"Ok!" the twins said as Mirabelle handed them a wooden spoon each.

The two of us walked out hand in hand and headed to the forest. Under the shade of the trees, the summer sun seemed to disappear.

"Can you believe it's been five years tomorrow?" Chelsea asked.

I smiled and squeezed her hand tightly. "Yeah, I can. It was the best thing I ever did, marrying you."

She giggled and turned to me with an accusing look on her face. "Oh? You told me when I was pregnant with the twins that knocking me up was the best thing you ever did."

I blushed and she giggled again, placing her hand on my cheek. I leaned into it and closed my eyes. "Either way, you were the best thing to ever happen to me."

I felt her lips on mine and I jumped in surprise. That was the best thing about Chelsea; you never know what to expect. I wrapped my arms around her and kissed her back gently. She pulled away and smacked her lips.

"Are you wearing chapstick?" she asked, giggling slightly.

I blushed a little darker. "What? Guys can't wear chapstick?"

She giggled. "Sure they can, but cherry flavored?"

I laughed and gave her an Eskimo kiss that she returned. "I took it from you, ya know."

"So that's where it ran off to," she said sarcastically.

We both laughed and continued through the woods. We stopped at the Goddess Pond and sat down at the water's edge. Chelsea crawled into my lap, despite the heat.

"Ya know Vaughn," she said as she grabbed my hands. "I've been thinking....We should take the twins to the mainland. Show them the city."

I tensed up. "I thought we both agreed to keep them as far away from that place as possible?"

"But Will wants to see them. And his parents did take me in. Besides, he's married now and I believe the broad is expecting."

I laughed. She didn't know his wife and yet still called her a broad. "If you really want to, we can."

She leaned back into me and sighed deeply. "Maybe we shouldn't..."

I laughed again, a little harder than before. "You should make up your mind before suggesting it, hun."

She giggled. "You know that I just talk. If I thought about what I was saying, I might hurt myself."

We both laughed and then settled into the quiet, not really paying attention to anything in particular.

* * *

Before long, it was time to head back to the Barn. We got up and headed back as we had come: hand in hand. I could smell the cookies from the bridge, my stomach growling slightly causing Chelsea to laugh. She then let go of my hand and ran off to the Barn, as bubbly as ever. She disappeared inside and I wasn't far behind her.

The sight of her picking up my daughter with my son at her side, holding up a cookie made me pause. My stomach twisted slightly and I smiled brightly. Chelsea looked over, wide-eyed at my expression, but smiled warmly. Luke looked up at me and Lily laid her head on Chelsea's shoulder with a cookie in her mouth.

This was my family. This was where I belonged. I had a beautiful wife and two wonderful children. I couldn't ask for anything better.

* * *

**Thanks for reading :)**


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